Telecom
Should I Stay or Go: 5 Emerging Reasons Mobile Customers Churn
As network quality improves, mobile subscribers globally are placing more importance on customer service and value when choosing an operator, Nokia’s 2016 Acquisition and Retention study shows.
The latest Nokia study, released today, is a mobile industry barometer for consumer behavior. It finds five factors that have changed notably in the last two years.
Global mobile subscribers, particularly in mature markets, want more transparency when it comes to contract terms, rate structures and data fees.
While price is still the most important factor when it comes to customer acquisition and retention, the study shows calling plans and rate structures are 14 percent more important to respondents than they were in 2014.
The report finds customers, confused by different packages, will often choose easy-to-understand terms and conditions over price.
Respondents say customer care has 60% more impact on their loyalty than it did in 2014.
This is the biggest change in our study. Respondents say better general services, self-service capabilities and effective complaint handling are increasingly important to them. Customer care is now basically on par with network quality as a deciding factor to stay with a mobile provider.
Networks are getting better in mature markets, but there is work to do in transition markets. Consumers in mature markets report a 13 percentage-point improvement in their satisfaction with Internet connection quality vs 2014, while transition markets report a slight decline.
Mobile security is a growing issue: 90% of customers in mature markets and 94% in transition markets worry about mobile security.
Globally, 47% of respondents would change operators if they suffered a security breach – that’s a 7-percentage-point increase from 2014.
Consumer expectations about IoT are growing. 56% of respondents in mature markets and 82% in transition markets would like to control at least one device via their mobile phone or tablet.
Bhaskar Gorti, Applications & Analytics president at Nokia, said: “We can see the marketing battles to acquire mobile subscribers are fierce. What we don’t see as well is the work operators do every day to retain customers. Our study shows how important that work is – and also how challenging it is as customers, attached to their phones, demand higher levels of service.”
The study also reveals notable trends in the areas of valued-added services, connected devices, voice and messaging, bundled services and more. For example:
The importance of a mobile provider’s service and device portfolio has a 10% impact on customer acquisition, up from 6% in 2014.
4G services could play a bigger role in customer acquisition and retention. Respondents using 4G are 38% more likely to be satisfied with their data speed and 24% more likely to be satisfied with data consistency than earlier-generation technology.
Yet in the past year, only 38% of respondents signed up for 4G. Almost a third of the respondents do not know if their operator offers the technology.
The study reports different uses of applications in mature and transition markets: 87% of consumers in transition markets use messaging applications compared to 46% in mature markets.
38% of respondents say they would be willing to receive advertisements on their mobile devices in exchange for rewards.
68% of respondents say they would leave an operator over network quality issues. In particular, the speed and consistency of Internet connection matters more for keeping customers loyal than either voice quality or network coverage.
Nigeria’s telecom operators recorded 155, 397 fibre-cut incidents between April and May 2026, and these they blame on why internet or calls suddenly stop working.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed fibre-cut incidents increased from 74 276 in April to a record 79 121 in May, bringing the two-month total to the highest level recorded by the industry.
This represents a 2 428% increase from the 5 934 incidents reported during the first quarter of 2026.
Vandalism remained the leading cause of fibre cuts, accounting for more than 54 000 incidents despite telecom infrastructure being designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, a classification intended to strengthen protection of key digital assets.
Also road construction constantly damages fiber where iggers and machines tear up buried cables during road repairs or construction.
Even with all these, some state governments make it hard for companies to fix cables quickly across different areas with all manners of fees and levies.
The NCC designation provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, but operators continue to face widespread infrastructure damage.
Proposed solutions, including Nigeria’s Dig-Once policy and AI-powered fibre sensing technologies, have yet to achieve widespread adoption.
The NCC is developing a cost-based framework for shared underground duct infrastructure, while operators are exploring AI-powered fibre sensing technologies that can detect cable damage in real time and improve network resilience.
Nigeria is pursuing ambitious broadband targets under its National Broadband Plan and has expanded fibre deployment to about 35 000 kilometres.
However, infrastructure protection has not kept pace with network expansion, leaving subscribers vulnerable to unreliable connectivity despite continued operator investment.
Standard Bank has partnered with Helios Towers to provide a $29 million Social Documentary Credit Facility. According to the financial services company, this transaction marks Standard Bank’s first Documentary Credit Facility structured in a Sustainable Finance format.
It notes that the facility will support the procurement and importation of telecommunications infrastructure and related services across Africa.
It will also provide payment certainty to suppliers, while supporting Helios Towers’ working capital requirements and infrastructure expansion programme, the bank adds.
Structured in accordance with the Loan Market Association’s Social Loan Principles, the financing is designed to promote digital connectivity and telecommunications infrastructure development in underserved markets.
This will help Helios Towers further expand its footprint and enhance mobile network coverage and connectivity across the continent.
Helios Towers operates one of Africa’s independent telecommunications tower platforms, enabling mobile network operators to extend coverage across multiple markets.
Standard Bank notes that the facility supports the expansion of tower infrastructure and services, increased network densification and improved connectivity in underserved markets and remote regions across the African continent.
It will also drive digital inclusion and tackle the digital divide while supporting economic growth and socio-economic development.
“This transaction demonstrates the power of innovation in trade finance. By combining a first-to-market Social Documentary Credit Facility with a cross-border funding solution, Standard Bank has supported Helios Towers’ growth ambitions while helping extend digital connectivity to underserved communities across Africa,” says Benoit Samouilhan, global transaction banker at Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking.
According to the bank, this facility enables positive social impact by increasing and improving network coverage and connectivity in some of the world’s most remote regions.
“Reliable digital infrastructure is fundamental to Africa’s future growth and development,” says Alex Carter, group finance director at Helios Towers.
“This facility provides us with the flexibility and certainty needed to support our ongoing infrastructure investments while advancing our mission of expanding connectivity across the continent. We value our longstanding relationship with Standard Bank and look forward to building on this partnership.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will on Thursday convene a stakeholders’ consultative forum to review the draft business rules for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
NCC
The forum, scheduled to hold at 10 a.m. at the NCC Annex Office, Mbora, Abuja, is expected to bring together telecommunications operators, industry associations and other stakeholders to provide input on the proposed regulatory framework before its finalisation.
The commission announced the event on its official social media platforms, inviting interested stakeholders to participate in the consultation process.
The engagement is part of the NCC’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework for MVNO operations and promote greater competition, innovation and consumer choice in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
Mobile Virtual Network Operators are telecommunications service providers that offer mobile services by leasing network capacity from licensed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), rather than owning spectrum licences or telecommunications infrastructure.
The NCC has identified the MVNO licensing framework as one of its initiatives aimed at deepening competition, expanding access to telecommunications services and driving digital inclusion across the country.
The consultative forum is expected to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to review the draft business rules, make recommendations and contribute to the development of a robust operational framework for the emerging MVNO segment.
The commission is expected to issue further details on the outcome of the consultation after the meeting.
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