In a press release issued on Tuesday, Globacom Ltd, a prominent Nigerian Telecommunications Company, refuted claims circulating in the media that it owed MTN interconnect charges. A reliable source within Globacom revealed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the reported amount due for payment, standing at N1.6 billion, had been settled without any controversy.
The denial comes in the wake of a public pre-disconnection notice posted on the Nigerian Communication Commission’s (NCC) Twitter page on Monday, January 8. The notice, signed by Reuben Muoka, the Director of Public Affairs at NCC, stated that despite repeated attempts at resolution, Glo had failed to clear its outstanding debts.
The NCC notice emphasized that after a thorough review of the application and the circumstances surrounding the indebtedness, Globacom could not provide significant or justifiable reasons for failing to fulfill its interconnect charges obligations. A portion of the public notice read, “All subscribers are requested to take notice that the commission has approved the partial disconnection of Globacom to MTN.”
Globacom, however, maintains its stance that the reported dues have been paid in full, dismissing any lingering controversies regarding the matter. As the situation unfolds, subscribers and industry stakeholders are keeping a close eye on the developments between the two major telecommunications players in Nigeria.
“This is in accordance with Section 100 of the Nigerian Communications Act (2003) and paragraph nine of the Guidelines on Procedure for Granting Approval to Disconnect Telecommunications Operators (2012).
“At the expiration of 10 days from Jan. 8, 2024, subscribers of Globacom will no longer be able to make calls to MTN but will be able to receive calls.
The Glo representative emphasized that a thorough verification of information should have been conducted before asserting that the telecommunications company owed MTN any interconnect charges.
“We are not owing MTN any interconnect charges,” stated the Glo official. Additionally, the official highlighted that Glo played a pioneering role by introducing the pay-per-second billing model, which effectively challenged the monopoly of foreign telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria.
The Glo representative refuted the report that implicated Nigeria’s entirely indigenous telecommunications company, asserting that the accusation was untrue. The official concluded by underscoring Glo’s significant contribution to redefining access to communication across various levels in the country.
