MTN Nigeria has announced compensation for its 73 million subscribers to make up for the network disruption of Saturday, October 9, 2021, when its users witnessed several hours of outage.
Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Olutokun Toriola, while apologising to customers for the inconvenience, on Sunday, stated that new measures were being put in place to avoid recurrence
He stated, “On behalf of the entire MTN team, I start with a heartfelt apology. We are truly sorry for the disruption this caused for so many in our MTN family. We know that millions of people rely on us to stay connected to their loved ones, to manage their businesses and to coordinate their lives.
“We take that responsibility, and privilege, very seriously. That is why we are putting new measures in place to make sure we never experience anything like that Saturday again.”
The largest telecommunications operator in Nigeria, MTN has 73 million customers (38.7 per cent) market share as at August, according to statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission. The firm celebrated 20 years in Nigeria on August 8.
On the cause of the outage, the CEO stated that it was due to an error that shifted all 4G customers onto the 3G band and impacted the whole network, adding that the technical teams were able to rectify the problem.
“Our technical teams have traced the cause of the problem to an error that shifted all our 4G customers onto the 3G band. This overloaded the 3G band, causing a domino effect that impacted the whole network.
“I know that, recently, other technology companies have suffered outages. I want to reassure you that the event is in no way connected to those. This wasn’t sabotage; it was a regrettable error,” he added.
Beyond extending time-bound subscriptions for its customers and as a way to further compensate its customers, the telecoms firm said customers on the MTN network had received a refund for the data and airtime that they used between noon and 7pm on Saturday, October 16, 2021.
“While we can’t give you back the time you lost that Saturday, we can give you back what you spent yesterday. Every customer on the MTN network has received a refund for the data and airtime that they used between 10am and 3pm yesterday.
“We hope it shows how much we value our customers. You truly are our most important focus. We all have challenges, each and every one of us – young or old, personally or professionally. What matters is how we respond. With you by our side, we will continue to improve and grow. Thank you for all your support. Thank you for walking with us over the last 20 years. We look forward to the next 20 and more with you, ” Toriola stated.
