The proposal is contained in an exposure draft jointly issued by the two regulators on February 5, 2026, and published on the CBN’s website. It seeks to address growing consumer complaints over transactions in which bank accounts are debited without successful airtime or data delivery.

Under the draft framework, the CBN and NCC plan to institutionalise accountability across the financial and telecommunications value chains, enforce standard resolution timelines and strengthen consumer redress mechanisms.

According to the document, the regulators will conduct compliance audits of stakeholders either jointly or individually on a quarterly basis or at other intervals deemed necessary. The audits will cover banks, mobile network operators, payment service providers, merchants and NCC-licensed entities involved in airtime and data vending.

The framework also proposes routine audits of partners to ensure that only properly licensed and authorised entities participate in airtime and data transactions, a move aimed at reducing failures linked to unlicensed intermediaries and weak system integrations.

In addition, the regulators intend to impose penalties for breaches identified during audits, reinforcing enforcement beyond voluntary compliance.

A key feature of the proposal is the introduction of unified service level agreements with strict timelines for transaction processing and reversals. Failed transactions would trigger real-time notifications across banks, mobile operators and licensed vendors, with automated refunds expected within seconds once failure is confirmed.

For unfulfilled airtime or data delivery, refunds are to be completed within 30 seconds in simulated or sandbox environments. Banks will also be limited to a maximum of two transaction re-attempts to prevent multiple debits during network downtimes.

To improve oversight, the framework proposes a central monitoring dashboard jointly managed by the CBN and NCC to track failed transactions, reversals, SLA breaches and consumer complaints across the ecosystem.

Stakeholders will also be required to publish quarterly SLA compliance scorecards, a move regulators say will improve transparency and restore consumer trust in digital airtime and data channels.

The exposure draft has been released for public comment ahead of nationwide implementation.

The post CBN, NCC Propose Joint Audits to Tackle Failed Airtime and Data Transactions appeared first on Tech Digest News.

An analysis of the half-year financial results from both companies shows rising consumer expenditure on telecom services, driven by tariff reviews, growing smartphone adoption, and continued investment in infrastructure by the two largest operators in Nigeria.

MTN Nigeria

MTN generated N2.12 trillion in revenue from voice and data services between January and June 2025, marking a 55.7% increase from N1.36 trillion in H1 2024. Of this, data revenue contributed N1.23 trillion—up 69.2% from N727.33 billion a year earlier. Voice revenue also grew 40.3% year-on-year to N887.13 billion.

The company attributed this growth to increased demand, price adjustments implemented in Q2, and a growing data subscriber base. MTN reported an 11.8% increase in active data users to 51 million, with total mobile subscribers rising 6.7% to 84.7 million.

Average data usage per customer rose 26.3% to 13.2GB, supported by 62.6% smartphone penetration and a 41.2% increase in total data traffic.

Price reviews across voice and data bundles boosted service revenue, helping MTN swing from a N519.1 billion loss in H1 2024 to a N414.9 billion profit in H1 2025. EBITDA more than doubled, rising by 119.5% to N1.2 trillion, with the margin improving to 50.6%.

The company has revised its full-year forecast, now projecting over 50% growth in both service revenue and EBITDA margin.

Airtel Nigeria

Airtel reported $298 million (N412.43 billion) in combined voice and data revenue in the first half of 2025, up 30.1% from N316.94 billion in H1 2024, using an exchange rate of N1,384/$.

Data revenue grew 40.2% year-on-year to $164 million (N226.98 billion), while voice revenue increased 19.1% to $134 million (N185.46 billion). The growth was supported by an 11.3% rise in data subscribers to 29.3 million and a 46.8% jump in average revenue per user (ARPU). Monthly data usage per subscriber rose from 7.3GB to 9.3GB, with smartphone penetration hitting 51.4%.

Airtel Nigeria’s customer base grew by 6.3% to 53.6 million. EBITDA rose 49.9% to $185 million, with the margin expanding to 55.7%, helped by higher revenue and cost efficiencies.

The telco noted improved macroeconomic stability, with the naira steadying around N1,530/$, inflation easing to 22.2% by June, and the Central Bank maintaining its benchmark interest rate at 27.5%.

The post Nigerians Spent N2.53tn on MTN, Airtel Calls and Data in Six Months appeared first on Tech Digest News.

The alarming figure was disclosed by the NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, during a stakeholder sensitisation workshop in Abuja. He described the persistent destruction and theft of telecom facilities as a major threat to national security, economic development, and the goal of universal broadband access.

“These acts of vandalism disrupt critical communication services, affect the quality of calls and internet connectivity, and impose huge replacement and maintenance costs on service providers,” Maida said. He noted that the impacts are often felt most severely by subscribers in rural and underserved communities who rely on stable networks for business, education, and emergency services.

Telecom operators spend billions of naira annually repairing damaged infrastructure, which in turn drives up the cost of service delivery for millions of Nigerians. The Commission warned that unless the trend is curbed, it could undermine the country’s digital economy ambitions.

The NCC urged communities to take ownership of protecting telecom infrastructure in their areas, stressing that safeguarding network equipment should be viewed as a shared responsibility. The Commission is ramping up public awareness campaigns and has launched a 24-hour toll-free line — 622 — for citizens to report suspicious activities around telecom installations.

Industry stakeholders have repeatedly called for stricter enforcement of existing laws and stiffer penalties for vandals. Security experts have also advocated the deployment of surveillance technologies and collaboration between telecom firms and local law enforcement to deter criminal networks that target fibre-optic cables, base stations, and power supply units.

The Commission said it will continue to work closely with operators, community leaders, and security agencies to identify hotspots, share intelligence, and raise awareness on the socio-economic consequences of infrastructure vandalism.

With Nigeria’s mobile and broadband penetration continuing to grow, the NCC maintains that protecting telecom facilities is critical to sustaining connectivity gains, driving investment in underserved regions, and ensuring that all Nigerians benefit from digital services without interruption.

The post NCC Raises Alarm as Telecom Vandalism Cases Exceed 50,000 Nationwide appeared first on Tech Digest News.