WorldStage Newsonline-- MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd has expressed surprise over the latest query it got from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over poor quality of services in Lagos Nigeria and its environs
NCC had this week issued a query to MTN, to explain why it would not be sanctions for the unbearable poor quality of services in Lagos and its environs.
The commission said in the query signed by its Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Dr. Balarabe Sani, and Director of Legal Services, Ms. Josephine Amuwa that, “It has also been brought to our notice that the MTN Switch in Lagos is down and MTN has neither informed its subscribers, nor communicated this unfortunate development to the Commission as required.”
In the letter, MTN was directed to, within 24 hours; furnish the commission with detailed report on these developments and efforts being made to urgently address the problem.
“Please note that failure to respond as directed might result in the Commission invoking its powers to sanction MTN appropriately,” it said.
Responding to the NCC’s threat, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, MTN Nigeria, Funmilayo Omogbenigun said the NCC statement was made in the context of a single incident of a service disruption that a limited number of their customers experienced on the evening of 1st May 2012, saying it was caused by a power outage at their main switch in Lagos and it was quickly rectified, but not all the affected customers felt the full impact of the restoration for a few hours afterward.
She added that some customers continued to experience difficulty with calling and texting the following day, adding that these issues were largely localized to some parts of Lagos.
“A letter was dispatched to the NCC on the 2nd of May informing the NCC and explaining what we had done to normalize. The report/letter was received by the NCC several hours before they made their statement. That is why the contents of the NCC’s statement came as a surprise,” she said.
The General Manager, Corporate Affairs further stated that MTN Nigeria acted in accordance with laid down and agreed procedure.
She pointed out that quality of service in the country was an industry wide challenge, pointing out that “it is caused by a combination of factors related to demand still outstripping supply in terms of telecommunications infrastructure and local environmental challenges.
“No network in Nigeria has invested more in infrastructure than MTN. This year alone, MTN is investing $1.3 billion in the network with a view to upgrading and increasing its capacity,” she said.
