NCC, CBN to Introduce Refund Framework for Failed Airtime, Data Transactions
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have concluded plans to roll out a joint framework aimed at resolving consumer complaints arising from failed airtime and data transactions.
The NCC’s Head of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, noting that such failed transactions often occur due to network downtimes, system glitches or human errors.
According to Ukoha, the framework is the product of months of engagements involving the NCC, CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and other stakeholders.
She explained that the discussions were prompted by the growing number of complaints from subscribers who were debited for airtime or data purchases without receiving the service, as well as delays in refund resolution.
“The framework represents a unified position by the telecommunications and financial sectors on addressing failed airtime and data transactions. It identifies the root causes of these failures, including instances where bank accounts are debited without successful service delivery,” she said.
Ukoha added that the framework introduces an enforceable Service Level Agreement (SLA) for MNOs and DMBs, clearly defining the responsibilities of each party involved in transaction processing and dispute resolution.
Under the new arrangement, customers are entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, regardless of whether the transaction failure occurred at the bank or telecom operator level, except in cases where transactions remain pending, which may take up to 24 hours to resolve.
The framework also mandates operators to notify consumers via SMS on the success or failure of every transaction and addresses issues such as erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect purchases and transactions made to wrong phone numbers.
Speaking on the development, the NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs, Freda Bruce-Bennett, said the framework establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN.
She said the dashboard would enable both regulators to monitor transaction failures, identify responsible parties, track refunds and detect SLA breaches in real time.
Bruce-Bennett noted that failed airtime and data top-ups consistently rank among the top three consumer complaints received by the commission.
She added that, pending final approval by the management of both regulators, telecom operators and banks have already refunded over ₦10 billion to customers affected by failed transactions.
Implementation of the framework is expected to begin on March 1, following final regulatory approvals and the completion of technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers and DMBs.
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