In a notice issued on Monday, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that Globacom subscribers may soon face restrictions in making calls to MTN lines due to the non-settlement of interconnect charges. The public notice, signed by Director, Public Affairs Department, Reuben Muoka, disclosed that the NCC granted partial approval for the disconnection of Glo from MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.
According to the notice, Globacom was given the opportunity to comment and present its case regarding the interconnect charges. The NCC, after examining the application and circumstances surrounding the indebtedness, determined that Glo does not have sufficient or justifiable reasons for the non-payment of interconnect charges.
As of January 18, 2024, subscribers of Globacom may no longer be able to make calls to MTN lines, although they will still be able to receive calls. The partial disconnection is a result of the ongoing interconnect dispute, and in-bound calls to the Globacom network will continue.
This isn’t the first instance of Glo subscribers facing such restrictions; in 2019, MTN briefly disconnected Glo subscribers over a similar issue involving a N4 billion debt. The NCC had directed mobile network operators to disconnect other operators over rising interconnect debts and failure to pay.
According to a source in MTN, Glo currently owes approximately N6 billion in interconnect fees. Previous efforts to resolve this issue have not been successful, and as of now, Glo has not provided any official comment on the matter.
Globacom, with 61.39 million mobile subscriptions as of August 2023, will see its subscribers affected by the call restrictions starting January 18, 2024. The ongoing dispute underscores the financial intricacies within the telecommunications industry and the importance of interconnectivity agreements among operators.