Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have proposed that customers must receive refunds within 30 seconds for failed airtime and data purchases to curb persistent billing complaints in the telecommunications sector.

This was indicated in the Exposure Draft of the Joint CBN–NCC Framework for Resolution of Failed Airtime and Data Purchase Transactions, which was published on the website of the CBN on Monday.

The landmark exposure draft, dated 5 February 2026, seeks to “institutionalise clear accountability” and establish a “coordinated approach to consumer redress” across the financial and telecommunications sectors.

The most significant shift in the proposed framework is the introduction of standardised, automated timelines for resolving failed transactions.

Currently, Nigerians often face long delays when airtime purchases fail at the bank, aggregator, or Mobile Network Operator level.

To solve this, the regulators have proposed a 30-second window for automated reversals. Section 6.0 (ii) of the draft exposure, which dwelt on failed transactions, especially as it relates to unfulfilled airtime/data delivery, proposes a time to refund the purchaser of 30 seconds “if the transaction failed at the bank level… Failed transaction delivery from NCC Authorised Licensees… Failed transaction delivery from MNO to the NCC Authorised Licensee.”

The draft emphasised that stakeholders must “automate reversal processes across all stakeholders” to ensure that refunds require no human intervention from the customer.

The draft exposure also stated that “all parties involved in airtime and data transactions shall take the following actions to ease usage and facilitate consumer satisfaction: a. Stakeholders must immediately connect ONLY to relevant authorised licensees of the NCC and CBN. b. MNOs and banks must only connect to NCC Authorised Licensees/MNO digital channel partners for airtime and data vending… Notifications of failure create final settlement obligations between MNO and NCC-authorised licensees… The NCC and CBN will audit stakeholder compliance jointly or individually at quarterly or other intervals as may be determined.”

From a business and oversight perspective, the regulators are proposing a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be hosted jointly by the CBN and NCC, which will track reversals, Service Level Agreement breaches, and customer complaints in real-time.

“There shall be a Central Monitoring Dashboard hosted by CBN/NCC for tracking reversals, SLA breaches, and customer complaints. This will facilitate the establishment of a real-time national ‘Failed Transactions Dashboard’ with a uniform error code with end-to-end visibility across the value chain’, read the draft exposure.

This is designed to eliminate the “unclear ownership of liability” that often occurs when banks and telcos blame each other for failed recharges. To support this, banks and MNOs will be required to maintain and share daily reports of successful and failed cases.

The proposed framework also addresses the common problem of “lost” money when customers recharge ported phone numbers. The draft mandates that MNOs must validate a phone number against the ported number database before processing any recharge. If the system identifies a number as ported out or invalid, it must “proactively stop recharges” and send a failure code back to the bank to ensure the customer is not debited.

For erroneous recharges sent to the wrong person, the framework sets clear protocols: below N20,000, MNOs will request the recipient’s consent before a reversal, and when it is above N20,000, an affidavit of indemnity or notarised letter is required to process the recovery.

The CBN and NCC in the exposure draft signalled they will take a firm stance on compliance. Both agencies will conduct joint quarterly audits of all stakeholders, including banks, payment service providers, and MNOs, to verify compliance with the new rules. The regulators have warned they will “impose penalties for any breach” of the framework’s provisions.

Banks and other financial institutions have until 10 February 2026 to submit their inputs on the draft before it is finalised. Once implemented, the framework is expected to significantly restore “subscriber trust” in Nigeria’s digital financial ecosystem.

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has officially begun a review of the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 (NTP), nearly three decades after its adoption, citing rapid technological shifts and evolving market realities that have outpaced the existing framework.

The Commission announced the launch of the review on Monday, releasing a consultation paper to solicit input from stakeholders on proposed updates to the policy.

According to the NCC, the overhaul aims to reposition Nigeria’s telecommunications framework to reflect contemporary trends in digital services, internet governance, satellite communications, broadband expansion, and universal access, while sustaining the sector’s role as a key driver of economic growth.

The NCC explained that the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 itself replaced the 1998 policy, introducing full market liberalisation, stakeholder consultation, and a unified regulatory framework under the NCC. Approved under a nascent democratic government, the policy marked a decisive shift from state control to competition and market-driven growth.

“Prior to the liberalisation midwifed by the NTP, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector was dominated by the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), which was a government-owned monopoly,” the Commission said. “NITEL was reputably characterized by obsolete equipment, poor quality of service and low teledensity.”

Just as the 1998 framework became obsolete due to global technological changes, the NCC says the 2000 policy now requires a comprehensive overhaul to address today’s realities, including platform-driven digital services, broadband-dependent applications, and emerging non-terrestrial networks.

The policy laid the foundation for the licensing of GSM operators in 2001 and 2002, transforming the market almost overnight. Mobile subscriptions quickly surpassed fixed-line users, revealing massive pent-up demand and market potential.

More significantly, the NTP paved the way for the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, which established a strong statutory and regulatory framework for the sector.ion said. “NITEL was reputably characterized by obsolete equipment, poor quality of service and low teledensity.”

Airtel Nigeria over the weekend, disclosed that 99 per cent of its sites now deliver high-speed 4G mobile broadband.

Speaking at a media parley in Lagos, Mr Dinesh Balsingh, managing director and chief executive officer,  said the operator is now a full nationwide 4G network provider.

He further disclosed that since December 2023, the operator has increased its sites by 15.5 per cent, adding 2,242 new locations to bring its total to nearly 16,711 nationwide, with further deployments planned across urban and rural communities in 2026.

Similarly, the network capacity upgrades have also reached significant scale. In 2025, Airtel enhanced capacity on 30 per cent of its sites, covering over 5,032 locations nationwide.

The Company’s CEO who unveiled a comprehensive update on its network, fibre and technology investments, said the upgrades executed over the last 12 to 24 months are designed to strengthen capacity, expand coverage and reinforce long-term resilience across the country’s telecommunications

“Over the last two years, we have invested with discipline and clarity to strengthen our network nationwide. Those investments are now translating into measurable improvements in performance, customer experience and reach, including in underserved and hard-to-reach communities,” Balsingh said.

He added that the pace of upgrades will intensify in 2026, stressing that, “Nigeria’s data appetite is growing, and leadership in this industry will belong to those who plan ahead. That is why we are accelerating these upgrades to stay ahead of demand.”

Also speaking, Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon, chief technology officer, said spectrum depth remains critical to performance.

“We have increased our 4G spectrum by 10MHz and we are actively optimising our holdings. These actions allow us to support higher data throughput, better speeds and more consistent service, especially in high-traffic areas,” he said.

Airtel is also accelerating its 5G rollout, with the number of active 5G sites more than doubling in the last three months. The upgrade is set to connect the top 20 Nigerian cities, with a significant portion of Airtel’s network in these locations becoming 5G-enabled within the coming year.

Airtel is also expanding its fibre backbone across almost all states. Following its decision to double capital expenditure, the company committed to growing its fibre network by 25 per cent, with intensive rollout ongoing across cities and inter-state routes.

Airtel further announced plans to activate a second internet breakout from the South via the 2Africa submarine cable, with traffic to be carried from Kwa-IAkwa Ibom State.

“This will create a faster and alternative path for large parts of the North and South and improve resilience for the entire ecosystem,” Balsingh said.