The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that the interconnect debt dispute between MTN Nigeria Communications Plc. (MTN) and Globacom Limited (Globacom) has been amicably resolved.
The NCC in a statement issued by its Director Public Affairs, Rueben Mouka on Thursday said both firms have settled the debt dispute.
The statement reads: “In accordance with this resolution, the disconnection approval granted to MTN for the disconnection of Globacom has now been withdrawn.
“Following its initial Public Notice, the Commission with the aim of mitigating any potential disruptions to subscribers undertook further regulatory intervention, by mediating between the parties and facilitating the reconciliation process”.
“The Commission reiterates that strict adherence to the terms and conditions of licenses, particularly those delineated in interconnection agreements, is imperative for all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other licensees within the telecommunications industry.
“In order to proactively address and prevent future instances of interconnect indebtedness within the industry, the Commission will be requesting relevant records and regular updates from MNOs, as well as adopting a transparent approach towards industry indebtedness”, the statement further read.
According to Mouka Thursday’s statement serves as a reminder of the Commission’s commitment to fostering a stable and compliant telecommunications ecosystem in Nigeria.
Recall that the NCC had in January issued a notice on Globacom’s indebtedness to MTN for interconnect services, saying it may lead to MTN blocking Glo’s subscribers.
NCC’s spokesman in the statement announcing the dispute between the telecom giants said NCC granted partial approval for the disconnection of Globacom from MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.
But the notice of suspension of connection was followed days later by NCC’s explanation 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 today, 17 January, 2024”.
Thursday’s statement from the telecom regulator signals a final resolution of the dispute between Glo and MTN.
Be the first to comment