The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have jointly developed a new framework to resolve consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions caused by network downtimes, system glitches, or human errors.
The framework is the outcome of several months of engagements involving the NCC, CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), and other stakeholders.
These discussions were prompted by the rising incidence of failed airtime and data purchases, where subscribers were debited without receiving value and faced delays in refunds.
Key Provisions
- Automatic Refunds: Customers debited without receiving airtime or data are entitled to refunds within 30 seconds, except where transactions remain pending, in which case refunds may take up to 24 hours.
- Service Level Agreement (SLA): A binding SLA clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of MNOs and DMBs in transaction processing and dispute resolution.
- SMS Notifications: Operators must notify consumers of the success or failure of every transaction.
- Error Resolution: The framework addresses erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect purchases, and transactions made to wrong phone numbers.
NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, disclosed that the framework establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and CBN.
The dashboard will:
- Monitor transaction failures in real time
- Identify responsible parties
- Track refunds
- Detect SLA breaches
Bruce-Bennett noted that failed top-ups consistently rank among the top three consumer complaints received by the Commission.
“So far, pending the approval of management of both regulators on the framework, MNOs and banks have collectively made refunds of over ₦10 billion to customers for failed transactions,” she said.
Full implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, following final regulatory approvals and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers, and DMBs.
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