Nigeria - consumer compensation

Nigeria Group Queries Glo Mobile Exclusion in Service Ruling

The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS), a non-governmental consumer group, is pressing

the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to declare whether Glo Mobile will be forced to compensate subscribers for poor quality of service.

The NCC last September said it would issue directives to three GSM operators -- Glo Mobile, MTN and Celtel -- to reimburse subscribers for service that was below average quality. The operators failed to meet minimum service levels as measured by the NCC's Key Performance Indicator (KPI) benchmarks.

MTN and Celtel filed a lawsuit to halt the directive, but two weeks ago a federal high court in Lagos ruled that they had to offer compensation, as directed by NCC.

While commending the court over the decision, NATCOMS has expressed concern about Glo Mobile. The operator did not participate in the suit brought by MTN and Celtel. However, neither Glo Mobile nor the NCC has commented on whether the operator is paying for poor service levels.

“We also noted with utmost dissatisfaction and dismay the non-inclusion of the Glo network in the compensation deal for Glo subscribers by the Nigerian Communications Commission," NATCOMS said.

“Why is the Glo Mobile network not included in the compensation deal for subscribers on Glo? Is the NCC saying that Glo has been giving subscribers on its network good quality service since they started in 2003? Is Glo Mobile a perfect network that has complied with international best practices?” NATCOMS said.

NATCOMS is asking for Key Performance Indicator benchmarks for Glo Mobile between 2006 and 2007.

The group also called on the NCC to ensure that the deadline given to the operators to complete compensation is adhered to, in line with the court judgment. The operators must credit 175 Naira (US$1.50) to each of their subscribers. The total amount could total billions of Nairas (tens of millions of dollars). Plaintiffs may appeal the Federal High Court within 30 days of the ruling.