Airtel restores airtime credit first after six-week suspension

Airtel Nigeria has restored its airtime credit services to more than 63 million subscribers, thereby becoming the first major telecom operator to relaunch the offering following a six-week suspension that temporarily cut off a widely used borrowing feature across the country’s mobile networks.

Globacom has also resumed its credit services, while MTN Nigeria, operator of the country’s largest subscriber base of over 95 million users is yet to announce a timeline for the return of its XtraTime and XtraData services.

The services were suspended in April 2026 after the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) introduced enforcement measures under its DEON Consumer Lending Regulations.

The framework reclassified airtime credit as a form of consumer lending, requiring operators to meet new licensing and compliance standards. In response, all four major mobile networks halted their airtime advance offerings.

Before the suspension, airtime credit had become a critical stopgap service for an estimated 40 million Nigerians. The feature allowed prepaid users to borrow small amounts of airtime or data typically between N50 and N500 and repay automatically on their next recharge, without interest, applications, or third-party lenders.

For many users in the informal economy, including traders, transport workers, and artisans, the service functioned as an informal financial cushion, enabling them to stay connected for urgent business calls, logistics coordination, and daily transactions even when their balances were depleted.

The shutdown also highlighted regulatory concerns around the distinction between telecom-based credit systems and digital lending platforms.

Between 2021 and 2023, the FCCPC reportedly received more than 11,000 complaints related to predatory digital lending apps, including harassment and unauthorised access to users’ contact lists.

Airtime credit systems, however, had not been associated with comparable levels of consumer abuse.

Industry estimates valued the airtime credit market across Nigeria’s four major networks at between N300 billion and N400 billion annually prior to the suspension.

MTN Nigeria’s fintech operations alone generated over N131 billion in the first nine months of 2025, with airtime advances contributing significantly.

The scale of usage reflects its deep penetration among low-income subscribers who depend on frequent small recharges and the flexibility of short-term borrowing to remain connected.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) previously warned that prolonged regulatory uncertainty could affect investor confidence in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure sector, particularly as the country advances its National Development Plan 2026–2030 targets.

With Airtel and Globacom now back online, subscribers on those networks have regained access to airtime credit services.

However, millions of MTN users are still awaiting confirmation on when similar services will be reinstated.