Telecom
Nigerians Pay for Calls That Did Not Connect- Lawan
Ahmad Lawan, Senate President, has charged telecommunications service providers in the country to improve their services or leave the country, saying it is wrong for Nigerians to be made to pay for calls which did not connect.
He said that the National Assembly would henceforth be tough on the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that they carry out their regulatory functions effectively.
Lawan spoke while declaring open a one-day joint public hearing on the incidence of drop calls in the country.
The public hearing, tagged: “The increasing rate of drop calls and other unwholesome practices by Telecommunications Network Operators in Nigeria that have robbed Nigerians of their hard earned billions of Naira” was organized by the Senate Committees on Communication and Trade and Investment, chaired by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central).
The Senate President said that it is wrong for Nigerians to be made to pay for calls which did not connect.
He lamented that all service providers are complicit in the rising cases of drop calls in the country for which they charge Nigerians.
Lawan said: “Whoever will provide better services, I think Nigerians will be better advised to use that service whatever it is.
“And whoever is not, Nigerians should abandon such a service provider. But at the moment all the service providers are involved in this drop calls.
“We pay for drop calls and drop calls are not services provided. For service providers, I am sorry I have to be brash and I have to be blunt, this is cumulative frustration of services not provided by telcos for years.
“The most painful part it is you don’t do it anywhere else. You do it in this country. We suffer. MTN in South Africa don’t do what they do here. Or even in Ghana.
“But in Nigeria, maybe because we are too fatalistic by saying maybe that is what God wishes, meanwhile somebody pockets billions.
“Please, let this be a journey for us in Government representing the people and you, service providers, business institutions or organizations come together and resolve this issue. It is high time.
“I know some of you will say well, we have heard this before, honestly we are going to be tough with the NCC.
“NCC should sit up and do what it is expected to do – to regulate properly because we have oversight function on NCC.
“But you (telcos) you are in business. If you are tired of what is going on I think we will insist on what may appear an uphill task.”
Senator Tinubu in her opening remarks noted that the Nigerian telecoms industry has greatly excelled over the last decade with impressive statistics to show for it.
She how lamented that the achievements in the industry have been greatly hampered by the worsening quality of service by operators.
She lamented that difficulties are often encountered in making telephone calls and “where the call eventually goes through, the caller is either unable to hear the receiver or vice versa.”
She insisted that in spite of a call being unsuccessful, the caller’s account still get charged.
Senator Tinubu said: “The achievements of the industry in the last 18 years are burdened and dwarfed by worsening Quality of Service (QOS) especially noticeable in the increasing rate of drop calls and other unwholesome practices by telecommunications network Operators.
“This and other unsatisfactory consumer experiences have made the issue a cause for concern.
“Difficulties are often encountered in making telephone calls and where the call eventually goes through, the caller is either unable to hear the receiver or vice versa.
“In spite of the call being unsuccessful, the caller’s account still gets charged. In addition, call credit often disappears from the subscribers phones without justifiable explanation.”
She further noted that “it is obvious that while the subscriber base across the networks is growing at a geometric proportion, service providers have not adequately invested in infrastructure in order to stem the tide of drop calls.
“As direct representatives of the Nigerian people, it will be absurd to fold our arms and allow this situation continue unabated.
“Certainly, all involved, starting from the operators, must confront the issue of drop calls owing to its negative impact on National Security and our nation’s economy.
“It is my belief therefore, that it is instructive for both the regulator and operators; and of course all relevant stakeholders, to strive to resolve this challenge of drop calls so as to justify the confidence of subscribers who keep them in business.”
Stakeholders that attended the public hearing included the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Umar Dambata, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council, Babatunde Irukera, and the representatives of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile, among others.
Most of the stakeholders blamed insecurity, vandalism, community antagonism, multiple fiber cuts, double taxation and road construction works for the drop calls sometimes experienced by subscribers.
All the representatives of service providers in their presentation said that drop calls are not usually charged by the networks.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
Police Busts Syndicate Who Allegedly Stole N3Bn from Financial Institution
MTN Accelerates Network Expansion to Meet Surging Telecom Demand
Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m
TeKnowledge, Equinix Partner to Advance Nigerian Digital Infrastructure
NSIB Faults Runway Identification, Reveals Cockpit Disagreement in Asaba Jet Incident
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Telecom2 days agoFixed Wired Internet Market Lags as Mobile Gains Ground
News2 days agoStudy Reveals How Moniepoint is Powering Nigeria’s $11Bn Food Service Sector
Broadcasting2 days agoBON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
General News2 days agoCourt Adjourns Alleged Binance Tax Evasion Case over Settlement Talks
E-Business2 days agoNew NIMC Act Strengthens Data Protection, Privacy – Director
News1 day agoPolice Busts Syndicate Who Allegedly Stole N3Bn from Financial Institution
General News2 days agoXenophobic Attacks: OYC Threatens to Picket MTN Nigeria Offices
Telecom1 day agoDStv, GOtv Owner MultiChoice Officially Joins Canal+ Group