MTN Nigeria compensates subscribers with 1MB for network outage

Mobile Telecommunications Nigeria, MTN Nigeria, has announced a compensation of 1MB data to its customers as compensation for the nationwide outage that occurred on October 9.

Newsflash Nigeria had reported last week Saturday, October 9, that MTN Nigeria users witnessed hours of network disruption caused by an outage that left customers without a connection.

MTN Nigeria users were unable to access call, data and SMS services due to service outages.

At the time, MTN did not issue an official statement, despite Newsflash Nigeria attempts to extract one from the telecommunication company.

But on Sunday, October 17, several MTN subscribers have reported receiving messages such as “Dear XXXXX, you’ve been refunded 1MB valid for 14 days, till October 31. To check your balance, dial *556#.”

Others received the following message: “Dear XXXXX, we apologise again for the outage on Oct 9. This video message is for you to watch free of charge.”

A staff at MTN Nigeria told Newsflash Nigeria that the data bundle was gifted to subscribers for the nationwide downtime that left a large portion of its 77 million users stranded on October 9.

The spokesperson for MTN Nigeria, Funsho Aina, also confirmed to Newsflash Nigeria in a message that the data bundle was given as an apology for the inconvenience.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Olutokun Toriola, also apologised to customers for the inconvenience, stating that new measures were being implemented to mitigate a repeat of such an event.

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He said: “On behalf of the entire MTN team, I want to 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, to coordinate their lives.

“We take that responsibility, and privilege, very seriously. That’s why we are putting new measures in place to make sure we never experience anything like last Saturday again.”

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.

“Our engineers were able to resolve the problem. I know that recently other technology companies have suffered outages.

“I want to reassure you that last Saturday’s event is in no way connected to those. This wasn’t sabotaged, it was a regrettable error.’’

Beyond extending time-bound subscriptions for its customers and as a way to further compensate its customers, the telecom giant said that customers on the MTN network have received a refund for the data and airtime that they used between 12 noon and 7pm on Saturday, 16th October 2021.

“While we can’t give you back the time you lost last 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 10 am and 3 pm 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.

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