Senate Calls Telecoms to Account for Failed Call Billing

The Senate summoned the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), MTN Nigeria, Globacom, Airtel Nigeria, and T2 Mobile to explain their billing practices regarding failed, dropped, and interrupted calls. This action was prompted by a motion from Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North), who highlighted the financial burden on Nigerians due to unjustified airtime deductions.

He noted that millions of Nigerians face issues with call connections and network interruptions, leading to additional costs. Senator Ned Nwoko supported the motion, emphasizing the need for urgent regulatory attention.

The Senate directed its Committee on Communications to investigate the billing systems of these operators, assess the scale of deductions, and report back within four weeks with recommendations for legislative and regulatory actions, including transparent billing and automatic refunds for unjustified deductions. Senate President Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North) urged immediate action from the committee.