By Gwen Ifeson
Former Abia State Governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has called for stricter regulation of telecommunications operators over unjustified airtime deductions resulting from failed calls and poor network services.
Kalu made the call during Tuesday’s Senate plenary while contributing to a motion sponsored by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North, on the need to address unfair billing practices in the telecommunications sector.
He expressed concern that Nigerians continue to lose airtime through failed calls, abrupt disconnections and interrupted conversations, often forcing subscribers to make repeated calls at additional costs.
Describing telecommunications as essential to businesses, education, public institutions and everyday communication, Kalu maintained that subscribers should not be charged for services they have not effectively received.
He called for greater accountability among Mobile Network Operators and stronger regulatory oversight to ensure fair billing and improved service delivery.
Following deliberations, the Senate urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to investigate the billing practices of MTN, Glo, Airtel and T2.
The resolutions also called on the NCC to establish accessible complaints and redress mechanisms, introduce regulations mandating automatic refunds for airtime deducted from verifiably failed calls, and conduct independent technical audits of operators’ billing systems.