Previous Next

MTN looks to NCC for interconnect debt rift resolution

Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola has restated the commitment of the telco to amicable resolution of the interconnect debt between it and Globacom.

Speaking on a national Tv yesterday, Toriola expressed absolute confidence in ability and competence of both the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to settle the matter.

He said: “Suffice it to say that we have between the NCC and the CBN, the most developed regulatory bodies who arbitrate on such matters and whatever we do in that dispute or that discourse will be in line with what the NCC dictates.  The NCC is very competent in addressing such issues; they’ve come out with authorization for disconnection and that has been put on hold to give an opportunity to address these issues. But what I can say is that MTN will always act in the most professional, most compliant manner, and we will not do anything that hasn’t been authorised by our licensing conditions or the regulator.”

Speaking on the dynamics and the origin of the company, he said the information communication technology (ICT) company is a solely Nigerian company.

“We are a Nigerian company, registered in Nigeria with Nigerian shareholders. If you look at our leadership cadre, you'll see that the company is 90per cent led at the very top level by Nigerians, and I don't think we have more than 10 expatriates in this company. We have a very seasoned board of Nigerian directors as well as some international directors. We’ve grown to this size because we’ve done the right things at the right time. You cannot force customers to make their choice with their wallets,” Toriola said.

It would be recalled that the NCC had on January 8, 2024, published a pre-disconnection notice informing subscribers of the approval granted MTN Nigeria Communications Plc to commence the phased disconnection of Globacom Limited with effect from January 18, 2024, due to long-standing interconnection debt dispute between the parties.

The regulator later said it had given the operators another window to amicably resolve the debt issue. That notwithstanding, Globacom has denied owing the telco, saying it has since paid the cash.

The ICT company remains committed to integrating digital competencies, prioritising customer satisfaction, whilst operating with the highest levels of compliance to industry standards.