Mobile subscribers across Nigeria are experiencing a rising wave of service disruptions as major network providers, particularly MTN, 9Mobile and Glo, are reporting significant outages largely caused by fibre cuts, power failures and construction activities, according to fresh data published by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The new network downtime insights that have gone live on the NCC website, is based on live incident reporting covering May 1 to 7, and sourced from Uptime.com via the telecoms regulator, reveal a disturbing trend that underscores persistent threats to network stability in the nation’s telecoms sector.
MTN is recording the highest number of service disruptions, with 12 major outages affecting its voice, SMS and data services across several states. 9mobile is logging four major incidents, while Glo is reporting one. Airtel, notably, is emerging with a clean slate—no major or partial outages during the period under review.
MTN is recording the highest number of service disruptions, with 12 major outages affecting its voice, SMS and data services across several states. 9mobile is logging four major incidents, while Glo is reporting one. Airtel, notably, is emerging with a clean slate—no major or partial outages during the period under review.
NCC: Longest downtime linked to Kogi State government’s access denial
Fibre cuts, power outages, and construction works are continuing to plague the networks, the NCC is confirming, with construction sites and even regulatory friction playing critical roles in service interruptions.
A particularly significant case is unfolding in Kogi State, where MTN’s services are remaining down for over 22 days. The prolonged outage is being linked to “access denial” by the Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA)—a situation raising eyebrows over potential regulatory bottlenecks that could derail service delivery.
“This incident is lasting 22 days, 20 hours and 50 minutes, making it the longest outage within the period,” the NCC is stating in its data logs, adding that “culprit: Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA)” is noted.
Across other states—Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Benue—MTN is grappling with multiple fibre cuts that are impacting all core services. A data outage in Benue is being explicitly tied to construction activities.
“MTN – Fibre Cut in Benue … Culprit: Construction,” the report reads.
“This incident is lasting 22 days, 20 hours and 50 minutes, making it the longest outage within the period,” the NCC is stating in its data logs, adding that “culprit: Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA)” is noted.
Meanwhile, Glo’s data services in Benue, FCT and Nassarawa are also suffering from construction-induced outages, this time linked to China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd., as revealed in the NCC data:
“Glo – Construction in Benue, FCT, Nassarawa … Culprit: China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd.”
Power outages are also surfacing as a recurring issue. In Lagos, 9Mobile’s entire suite of services—USSD, voice, SMS, and data—is disrupted in the Ikorodu area due to a blackout. Similarly, MTN is hit by a power failure in Niger State, knocking out all major services.
The geographic footprint of these outages is wide, touching urban centres and hinterland states alike, with reported incidents across Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, Benue, Niger, FCT, Nassarawa, Lagos, and Kogi.
While some outages are short-lived—such as MTN’s combined fibre cut incident in Adamawa, Borno and Gombe, which lasted 32 minutes and 44 seconds—others stretch into hours or days, compounding user frustrations and economic losses in the digitally-dependent Nigerian market.
Airtel’s apparent network resilience or superior mitigation strategy is standing out starkly in contrast to competitors as the number two mobile network operator has recorded no incident on the NCC’s live incidents report.
NCC Live Reporting: Important Facts and Data Points:
- MTN Major Outages: 12 (4 Voice, 4 SMS, 0 USSD, 4 Data)
- 9Mobile Major Outages: 4 (1 Voice, 1 SMS, 1 USSD, 1 Data)
- Glo Major Outages: 1 (0 Voice, 0 SMS, 0 USSD, 1 Data)
- Airtel Major/Partial Outages: 0
- Longest Reported Outage: MTN Access denial in Kogi (22d 20h 50m)
- Shortest Reported Major Outage: MTN Fibre Cut in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe (0h 32m 44s)
Affected Operators
- “MTN – Fibre Cut in Benue … Culprit: Construction”
- “Glo – Construction in Benue, FCT, Nassarawa … Culprit: China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd”
- “MTN – Power Outage in Niger … Culprit: Power Outage”
- “MTN – Access denial in Kogi … Culprit: Kogi State Utility Infrastructure Management and Compliance Agency (KUIMCA)”
The NCC’s watchdog role is growing more critical as it continues to monitor performance metrics through Uptime.com and other channels, amid rising consumer reliance on mobile networks for financial services, education, healthcare and entertainment.
According to NCC, the platform keeps the public “updated on significant service disruptions reported by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)” to enable them to stay “informed about ongoing outages, their impact, response times, and resolution status.”
According to the telecoms regulator, “our goal is to enhance transparency and ensure you’re always in the know.”
The regulator is recommending closer engagement between telcos and state infrastructure agencies, as well as further investigations into the causes of frequent network disruptions.
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