The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled a new operational framework designed to ensure swift refunds for subscribers who are debited for airtime or data without receiving value.
Under the new rules, customers must be refunded within 30 seconds whenever a failed airtime or data purchase occurs, except in cases where the transaction is pending. In such situations, the refund process may take up to 24 hours.
The framework, developed in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the NCC’s Head of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha. It aims to resolve persistent consumer complaints linked to unsuccessful airtime and data transactions caused by network downtime, system failures, or human errors.
According to the NCC, the initiative is the outcome of months of engagements involving the telecom and financial regulators, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), and other key stakeholders. These discussions were triggered by a growing number of complaints from subscribers who were debited without receiving airtime or data and often faced delays in getting refunds.
The Commission explained that the framework represents a unified position by both sectors and clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of banks and telecom operators through an enforceable Service Level Agreement (SLA). It addresses issues such as erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases, and transactions sent to the wrong phone numbers.
As part of the new measures, operators are now mandated to notify consumers via SMS on the success or failure of every airtime or data transaction.
Speaking on the development, the NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett, disclosed that the framework also establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. She said the dashboard would enable both regulators to monitor failed transactions, identify the responsible party, track refunds, and detect SLA breaches in real time.
Bruce-Bennett noted that failed top-ups remain one of the top three consumer complaints received by the Commission, stressing that the new framework is part of efforts to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
She added that, pending final approval by the management of both regulators, telecom operators and banks have already refunded customers more than ₦10 billion for failed airtime and data transactions.
Implementation of the framework is expected to begin on March 1, 2026, following final regulatory approvals and the completion of technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers, and DMBs.
