NCC denies renewing MTN’s licence — contradicting info on its site

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has denied licence renewal for MTN Nigeria – contradicting a 10-year renewal update for the telco on its website.

TheCable captured the NCC update showing licence renewal for MTN Nigeria Communications Plc from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2031.

The NCC updates also prompted the report in an online news platform.

Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC director of public affairs, did not reply to enquiries seeking clarifications on the adjustment on the commission’s website.

Several calls to his telephone line were not answered too.

But in a statement issued on Monday, the commission said licence renewal for MTN Nigeria is still undergoing required regulatory processes.

The statement also debunked a previous news report which claimed that MTN Nigeria had secured regulatory approval for its licence renewal.

In March, Reuters reported that MTN Nigeria’s operating spectrum and licence renewal was in an advanced stage for another ten years from September 2021.

“The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to a publication in an online media entitled “Govt renews MTN Nigeria licence amid 20 years of GSM Phones” to the effect that the mobile operating licence of MTN has been renewed by the Commission for another period of 10 years,” the statement had said.

“The Commission wishes to state that, while MTN Nigeria has applied for the renewal of the Unified Access Service Licence ((UASL) granted to it by the Commission, the application is yet to be approved as it is still undergoing required regulatory processes.

“This statement is issued for the guidance of our general stakeholders.”

The commission has now updated the renewal dates to the previous ones – 30/08/2021.

In July 2021, NCC had also refuted an online publication which reported that the mobile operating licence of Airtel has been renewed by the commission for another period of 10 years.

Airtel Nigeria had said it applied to NCC for renewal ahead of this expiry date – November 2021 and the process is in progress.