NCC slashes wait time at MTN, Airtel centers to 30 minutes

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has mandated telecommunication companies such as MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria to ensure subscribers are attended to within 30 minutes of arriving at their service centres.

This directive is part of the NCC’s ‘Quality of Service Business Rules,’ which were issued in August 2024, following the release of a draft version in June 2023. The guidelines aim to enhance telecom subscribers’ service quality by establishing minimum service standards, associated measurements, and key performance indicators.

Addressing the issue of wait time at customer care centres, the NCC stated, “< 30 minutes. The Licensee shall provide means of measuring the waiting time, starting from the time of arrival at the premises.”

Adeolu Ogunbanjo, president of the National Association of Telecom Subscribers, noted that the development would reduce crowd volumes at telecom centres.

“This is a fantastic development. The NCC has been doing well in terms of improving customer experience. This is a good development for the consumers, unlike before when people waited for hours (wasting man hours) and did not get attended to. It will save consumer waiting time at the customer experience center of the telcos. We are happy about this,” he said.

In addition to reducing wait times, the NCC has introduced other customer service improvements. The commission has limited the maximum number of call attempts before connecting to customer care lines to three and requires customers to speak with live agents within five minutes. The telcos must call the subscribers back within 30 minutes if this is impossible.

Also, the NCC has mandated that requests for blocking reported lost or stolen SIM cards must be completed within five minutes. “< 5 minutes blocking allowed, and further usage should not be chargeable to the consumer from the moment of filing the report,” the commission emphasised.

Internet outages must not exceed two hours, except in cases of lawful disconnection. Subscribers may lose their phone numbers if their line is not used for any revenue-generating event within a year.

“A subscriber line may be deactivated if it has not been used within six (6) months for a Revenue Generating Event (RGE). If the situation persists for another 6 months, the subscriber may lose his/her number, except for network-related fault inhibiting an RGE…”

However, the NCC also allows subscribers to request line parking if they have valid reasons for not using their lines, ensuring they do not lose their numbers.