By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the interconnect debt dispute between MTN Nigeria and Globacom Limited (Glo) has been amicably resolved. This is as a payment agreement was reached by both parties, Business Post gathered.
Globacom reportedly paid N1.6 billion as the principal amount, but MTN disputed that due to the lengthy period of the accumulated amount, it was entitled to interest payment. The final fee is put at N2 billion against the expected N3 billion.
According to a statement released on Thursday by the Director of Public Affairs at the telco regulator, Mr Reuben Muoka, due to the resolution, the disconnection approval granted to MTN for the disconnection of Globacom has now been withdrawn.
Following its initial public notice, the commission, with the aim of mitigating any potential disruptions to subscribers, undertook further regulatory intervention by mediating between the parties and facilitating the reconciliation process.
“The commission reiterates that strict adherence to the terms and conditions of licenses, particularly those delineated in interconnection agreements, is imperative for all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other licensees within the telecommunications industry.
“In order to proactively address and prevent future instances of interconnect indebtedness within the industry, the Commission will be requesting relevant records and regular updates from MNOs, as well as adopting a transparent approach towards industry indebtedness,” it said.
NCC added that this statement serves as a reminder of the Commission’s commitment to fostering a stable and compliant telecommunications ecosystem in Nigeria.
Recall that NCC set a timeline of 21 days for both MTN and Glo to agree before MTN disconnects the Mike Adenuga-owned telco from its network. It would later postpone the initial deadline to allow for dialogue between both networks.
Modupe Gbadeyanka