Globacom subscribers won’t be able to make calls to MTN lines soon following non-settlement of interconnect charges.
The Daily Crucible reports that there were over 61 million mobile subscriptions on Glo’s network as of 2023.
Sources claimed Glo owes the MTN interconnect fees running into billions of Naira.
But efforts to get Glo’s position on the matter are still ongoing as the telecom firm’s comment is being expected.
However, the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) in a public notice on Monday by the NCC’s Director, Public Affairs Department, Reuben Muoka, disclosed the planned disconnection.
Muoka stated that the NCC granted partial approval for the disconnection of Globacom from MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.
He said, “Globacom was notified of the application made by MTN and was given the opportunity to comment and state its case.
“The commission, having examined the application and circumstances surrounding the indebtedness, determined that Globacom does not have sufficient or justifiable reason for non-payment of the interconnect charges.”
He noted that at the expiration of 10 days from the date of this notice, “subscribers of Globacom will no longer be able to make calls to MTN but will be able to receive calls.
“The partial disconnection, however, will allow in-bound calls to the Globacom network.”
Although this latest threat if carried out will not the first time Glo subscribers will be disconnected from making calls to MTN over the same issue.
In 2019, MTN, acting upon a directive from the NCC, momentarily disconnected Glo subscribers over a N4bn debt.
Also, in December 2018, the telecom regulator approved mobile network operators to disconnect other operators over rising interconnect debts and the failure of the affected operators to pay.
The total disconnect fee in the industry at the time was about N165bn.
Interconnect charge according to the industry demands, is the price that telecom operators pay each other for calls terminating on their respective networks.
