By Stanley Iwuoha
Nigeria’s national telecom carrier, Globacom may have paid a whopping one billion Naira, N1bn to its counterpart, MTN Nigeria as part of settlement of the alleged N16 billion interconnect debt which has disrupted the sector in the past 2 weeks.
Brandxposure gathered that based on that commitment, the operator may have held off the disconnection plan which was approved by the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, for MTN to carry out on the subscribers of Glo.
Recall that on January 8, 2024, the NCC had granted MTN permission to stop calls of Globacom subscribers from terminating on MTN network.
But now, after the payment, the regulator has again directed MTN to halt the planned disconnection of Globacom over accrued interconnection debt.
In a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs in the Commission, Dr. Reuben Muoka, the Commission announced that the parties have now reached agreement to resolve all outstanding issues between them.
And for this reason, and in exercise of its regulatory powers in that regard, the Commission said it has put the phased disconnection on hold for a period of 21 (twenty-one) days from today, 17 January, 2024.
Whilst the Commission expects MTN and Glo to resolve all outstanding issues within the 21-day period, it insists that interconnect debts must be settled by all operating companies as a necessary component towards compliance with regulatory obligations of all licensees.
It cautioned that keeping the terms and conditions of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other licensees licences in the telecom industry, is mandatory, especially as contained in their interconnection agreements.
In granting the earlier disconnection approval, the Commission was deeply conscious of the potential impacts of the decision on consumers and therefore continued to engage both parties to facilitate a resolution which prioritizes and protects consumer interest and the seamless operation of the national telecoms network.
The statement read in part: “The Commission is pleased to announce that the parties have now reached agreement to resolve all outstanding issues between them. For this reason, and in exercise of its regulatory powers in that regard, the Commission has put the phased disconnection on hold for a period of 21 (twenty-one) days from, 17 January, 2024.
“Whilst the Commission expects MTN and Glo to resolve all outstanding issues within the 21-day period, the Commission insists that interconnect debts must be settled by all operating companies as a necessary component towards compliance with regulatory obligations of all licensees. It is OBLIGATORY that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other licensees in the telecom industry keep to the terms and conditions of their licenses, especially as contained in their interconnection agreements”.
