Senate Probes Telecom Operators Over Airtime Deductions For Failed Calls

The Senate has ordered an investigation into alleged arbitrary airtime deductions by telecommunications operators for failed, dropped and prematurely terminated calls, giving its Committee on Communications four weeks to determine the financial losses suffered by subscribers.

The resolution followed a motion on consumer protection in the telecommunications sector, which highlighted persistent complaints by Nigerians over airtime deductions for calls that fail to connect, terminate abruptly or are disrupted by poor network services.

The motion was sponsored by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno, and presented by the Deputy Senate Leader. It was seconded by Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North, who described the problem as one affecting virtually every telecommunications subscriber in the country.

Supporting the motion, Nwoko said the investigation was necessary to protect consumers from avoidable financial losses arising from poor service delivery by network operators.

“This is a well-thought-out motion. It is very straightforward. It is all about consumer protection. We need to make this particular motion at this critical time because a lot of the time, everybody is involved in the use of calls, making calls across the country, and we all experience the same technical issues,” he said.

During consideration of the prayers, the Deputy Minority Leader proposed that the Senate adopt only Prayer Six, arguing that it sufficiently captured the issues raised in the preceding five prayers.

The amendment, seconded by Senator Benios Yaro, representing Adamawa South, was put to a voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and adopted.

Reading the resolution, Akpabio said the Committee on Communications had been directed to invite the Nigerian Communications Commission and relevant telecommunications operators to investigate complaints concerning failed calls, dropped calls, unterminated calls and inflated charges.

The committee is also expected to establish the financial losses incurred by subscribers and submit its findings, alongside recommendations for further legislative and regulatory action, within four weeks.

The consolidated resolution brings together several proposals seeking an investigation into the billing practices of MTN Nigeria, Globacom, Airtel and T2 Mobile.

It also seeks an accessible complaints and redress mechanism, automatic refunds for verifiably failed calls, independent technical audits of billing systems and stricter enforcement of quality-of-service standards.

Speaking after the adoption, Akpabio urged the Committee on Communications, chaired by Senator Bill Bills, to begin work immediately, describing the four-week deadline as lengthy but necessary.

He warned that the Senate could take over the investigation as a Committee of the Whole if the committee failed to submit a satisfactory report within the stipulated period.

“I think we should; we have given them a timeline of four weeks. Four weeks is too long, but we can allow it. If in four weeks they don’t satisfy us, then we have to take it as a Committee of the Whole and invite all the operators, in addition to the Minister overseeing the NCC and also the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, to ask these pertinent questions,” he said.

The Senate President said growing complaints from telecommunications subscribers could no longer be ignored, particularly as consumers continued to lose money over services that were poorly delivered or not provided at all.

“The public is complaining, and our job here is to make sure that we tackle the concerns of the Nigerian public and also the losses they suffer that are actually avoidable,” he said.

Akpabio also expressed concern that inadequate supervision might be contributing to the persistent challenges in the sector. He stressed the need to engage the NCC, the supervising minister and telecommunications operators to ensure accountability and lasting improvements.

The probe is expected to determine the extent of subscribers’ financial losses, establish whether operators have complied with existing regulatory requirements on billing transparency and quality of service, and identify possible gaps in the enforcement of consumer protection rules.

Telecommunications subscribers have repeatedly complained about losing airtime when calls fail to connect, disconnect shortly after connection or are interrupted by network problems.

The complaints have raised questions about the fairness and transparency of operators’ billing systems, particularly where subscribers are charged despite receiving little or no service.

The Senate’s intervention is aimed at establishing whether the deductions result from technical failures, billing-system deficiencies or regulatory lapses, and determining appropriate remedies for affected consumers.

The committee’s report is expected to provide a basis for possible legislative and regulatory measures, including improved monitoring of operators, more effective complaint-resolution mechanisms and refunds where wrongful deductions are established.

Akpabio’s warning also signals the possibility of a wider legislative inquiry involving the NCC, the supervising minister and affected operators if the committee fails to deliver within four weeks.