The Senate has ordered an investigation into alleged unjustified airtime deductions by four major telecommunications operators, seeking refunds for subscribers charged for failed and interrupted calls.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North, during plenary on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
The Senate Committee on Communications was directed to investigate complaints involving MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2 Mobile, determine subscribers’ financial losses and recommend measures to prevent charges for services not effectively delivered.
The committee has four weeks to submit its findings.
The motion, titled Need to Curb Unjustified Deductions from Subscribers’ Airtime Resulting from Substandard Services Through Robust Consumer Protection, was presented on Monguno’s behalf by Senator Lola Ashiru, representing Kwara South.
The lawmakers expressed concern that subscribers frequently lose airtime on calls that fail to connect, terminate prematurely or suffer network interruptions, forcing them to redial and incur additional charges.
READ ALSO:Â Reps Blast NCC, Demand Action On Poor Network Quality
They maintained that customers should not bear the financial consequences of network failures, warning that accumulated deductions impose a significant burden on millions of Nigerians, particularly low-income earners, students, traders and small business owners.
Citing the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, the Senate urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to investigate operators’ billing systems, introduce automatic refunds for verifiably failed calls and strengthen enforcement of service quality standards.
It also called for independent audits of billing systems, appropriate sanctions for regulatory breaches and an accessible complaints mechanism for affected subscribers.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio stressed the need for accountability and directed the committee to engage the regulator and affected operators.
The intervention follows earlier NCC efforts to address consumer losses. In January 2026, the commission and the Central Bank of Nigeria finalised a framework for refunding failed airtime and data purchases, providing for reversals within 30 seconds, except pending transactions, which may take up to 24 hours.
In April 2026, a separate NCC compensation framework took effect, providing automatic airtime credits to eligible subscribers affected by prolonged or repeated poor network performance in areas where operators fail to meet prescribed service standards.
The Senate’s latest action specifically targets deductions on unsuccessful and interrupted calls, seeking stronger protection against charges for telecommunications services not effectively delivered.