By Peter Omopo
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has announced plans to roll out a new framework aimed at resolving consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data purchases.
Under the proposed arrangement, subscribers who are debited for airtime or data without receiving the service will be entitled to a refund within 30 seconds. The initiative is expected to address the growing number of complaints linked to unsuccessful transactions across telecommunications and banking platforms.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the NCC’s spokesperson, Nneka Ukoha, said the framework was developed after months of consultations involving the NCC, the CBN, mobile network operators, value-added service providers, deposit money banks and other industry stakeholders.
According to Ukoha, the policy represents a coordinated effort between the telecommunications and financial sectors to protect consumers affected by failed transactions caused by network disruptions, system failures or human error. She noted that the framework establishes a binding service level agreement that clearly defines the responsibilities of mobile network operators and banks in processing transactions and resolving disputes.
Ukoha explained that where a customer is debited but does not receive airtime or data—whether the failure occurs at the bank or network operator level—a refund must be issued within 30 seconds. However, in cases where transactions remain pending, refunds may take up to 24 hours.
The framework also requires operators to notify customers via SMS on the success or failure of every transaction. It further covers issues such as erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases, and transactions made to the wrong phone numbers.
Speaking on the initiative, the NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs, Freda Bruce-Bennett, said failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints received by the Commission. She noted that the new framework includes a central monitoring dashboard that will enable real-time tracking of failed transactions, refund processes and breaches of service level agreements, under the joint oversight of the NCC and the CBN.
Bruce-Bennett disclosed that, pending final approval of the framework by both regulators, mobile network operators and banks have already refunded more than N10 billion to customers affected by failed transactions.
She added that the framework is expected to take effect on March 1, subject to the final approval of the NCC and the CBN, following the completion of technical integration by mobile network operators, value-added service providers and deposit money banks.
