Globacom Denies Owing MTN Interconnect Charges, Disputes NCC Disconnection Notice

Nigerian telecommunications company Globacom Ltd. refuted claims on Tuesday that it owed MTN interconnect charges.

A reliable source within Globacom confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the disputed N1.6 billion had been paid without issue.

This contradicts a public pre-disconnection notice posted on the Nigerian Communication Commission’s (NCC) Twitter page on Monday, January 8th. Signed by Director of Public Affairs Reuben Muoka, the notice cited Glo’s repeated failure to settle outstanding debts despite attempts at resolution

It stated that after reviewing the application and the circumstances relating to the indebtedness, Globacom lacked the significant or justifiable reasons for failing to pay the interconnect charges.

Part of the public notice read: “All subscribers are requested to take notice that the commission has approved the partial disconnection of Globacom to MTN.

“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 official said a proper cross checking of facts should have been done before concluding that the telco was owing MTN.

“We are not owing MTN any interconnect charges,” the Glo official said.

The official added that Glo was the first telecoms company that introduced the pay per second form of billing, thereby cutting the monopoly of the other foreign companies operating in Nigeria.

According to the Glo official, the report against the fully indigenous telecommunications company is false.