MTN alerts customers to fake 25GB giveaway scams

Telecommunications operators in Nigeria could face hefty regulatory sanctions over worsening service quality, as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) intensifies efforts to hold operators accountable for declining network performance and consumer experience.

The Guardian learnt yesterday that the telecom regulator had commenced a new compliance process by issuing pre-enforcement notices to operators whose networks might have failed to meet prescribed Quality of Service (QoS) standards.

Industry sources familiar with the development said the move marked the beginning of a more rigorous enforcement regime, one that could culminate in significant penalties for operators found to have consistently fallen short of regulatory benchmarks.

According to the sources, the action follows months of heightened regulatory scrutiny of operators’ network performance, consumer protection obligations and compliance with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) established by the Commission.

A senior source in the NCC’s Technical Standards and Network Integrity Department disclosed that the Commission had, in recent years, adopted a more evidence-driven approach to regulation while ensuring fairness to licensees.

Another official in the Commission’s Legal and Regulatory Services Department confirmed that the notices were intended to provide operators an opportunity to respond to identified infractions before any enforcement action is taken.

According to the source, the operators would either be invited to Abuja or engaged virtually to address concerns raised in the notices.

The Guardian observed that quality of service remains one of the most persistent concerns in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, despite more than 25 years of industry liberalisation and rapid subscriber growth.

However, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has cautioned against relying solely on sanctions to address the sector’s longstanding quality-of-service challenges.

ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, argued that service quality issues were deeply interconnected with broader infrastructure and operating constraints confronting operators.

According to him, fines and penalties alone cannot resolve the systemic challenges undermining service delivery.

Adebayo maintained that while operators should be held accountable for genuine infractions, regulators must also take into consideration the broader operating environment.

Meanwhile, ​MTN Nigeria has alerted subscribers to fraudulent online offers claiming to distribute 25GB data bundles for its 25th anniversary, urging customers to rely exclusively on official channels.
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The telecommunications provider issued the warning via its official X support account, advising Nigerians against opening suspicious links, disclosing personal details, or sending money to unauthorised platforms.
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MTN confirmed that the free 25GB bundle was strictly available to eligible subscribers and remained valid until 11:59 PM on the specified expiry date.