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NCC Issues August Deadline to Tower Firms Over Poor Service Quality, Vows Sanctions
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a stern ultimatum to tower infrastructure companies (TowerCos), directing them to urgently improve the quality of their services by the end of August or face regulatory penalties. The directive was delivered by the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, during a high-level stakeholder meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.
The meeting brought together senior representatives from Nigeria’s leading tower firms—including IHS Towers, American Tower Corporation (ATC), and Pan-African Towers—as well as executives from mobile network operators (MNOs) like MTN, Airtel, and Glo. It was convened to tackle the persistent service quality challenges plaguing the telecom sector, particularly those linked to infrastructure reliability.
Tower companies, the unsung structural backbone of Nigeria’s telecom ecosystem, are responsible for maintaining thousands of cell sites nationwide. These towers host critical equipment used by mobile network operators to deliver voice and data services.
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However, frequent power outages, equipment failures, and delayed maintenance have led to rising customer complaints about dropped calls, frozen data sessions, and inconsistent connectivity.
“When there’s no power, the radios shut down. If the power fluctuates, the radios restart—and that leads to failed calls and disrupted data connections,” explained an industry insider present at the meeting.
NCC regulators have historically focused on MNOs when penalising poor service, but that changed in August 2024, when the commission expanded its Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations to include infrastructure providers across the connectivity value chain. The revised framework introduced new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for TowerCos, who are now legally obligated to meet those standards.
Dr Maida reminded attendees that nearly a year has passed since the new framework was adopted, adding that compliance is long overdue.
“It’s been eleven months since those new regulations came into effect. That’s more than enough time for all parties to align with the performance standards expected of them,” he said.
He emphasised that financial disputes or delayed payments from MNOs would no longer be accepted as justification for non-performance. “Operators must fulfil both their technical and financial responsibilities. Performance expectations are non-negotiable,” he declared.
Nigeria’s tower infrastructure is dominated by:
- IHS Towers: Controls between 16,000 and 19,000 sites, representing about 62% of co-located infrastructure nationwide.
- American Tower Corporation (ATC): The second-largest player with 8,270 towers.
- Pan-African Towers: A smaller, indigenous provider operating 760 to 1,000 sites, although some are inactive.
Their failure to meet service-level benchmarks has become a major bottleneck in delivering consistent digital services across Nigeria’s fast-growing internet economy.
To hold infrastructure providers accountable, the NCC is rolling out a transparency-driven compliance mechanism, including:
- A newly launched Major Incident Reporting Portal mandating public disclosure of major network disruptions.
- Upcoming performance dashboards on the NCC website to allow consumers to monitor TowerCos’ and MNOs’ adherence to KPIs.
With mobile internet penetration now a key pillar of Nigeria’s digital economy, infrastructure reliability is more important than ever. As users increasingly depend on mobile data for work, education, and commerce, poor tower operations translate directly to economic disruptions.
While TowerCos argue that cash flow issues—stemming from unpaid dues by MNOs—are affecting their ability to maintain sites or invest in alternative power sources, the Commission is taking a firm stance.
“Service quality must not be compromised by internal business disputes. Every player in the chain must live up to its obligation,” Maida said.
The NCC has given tower firms until the end of August 2025 to resolve chronic issues or risk facing enforcement actions that could include fines, operational restrictions, or license reviews.
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