MTN

JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – MTN has confirmed discussions were ongoing with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) after it fined it heftily for allegedly undermining efforts by the Nigerian government to tackle security challenges and the war on terror and allied crimes.

This follows the failure to disconnect subscribers with unregistered and incomplete subscriber identification modules (SIM) cards within the stipulated time.

On Tuesday, the company confirmed the industry regulator had imposed a fine of more than N1 trillion “relating to the timing of the disconnection of 5,1 million MTN Nigeria subscribers who were disconnected in August and September 2015 and is based on a fine of N200 000 for each unregistered subscriber.”

The fine is equivalent to $5,2 billion.

“MTN Nigeria is currently in discussions with the NCC to resolve the matter in recognition of the circumstances that prevailed with regard to these subscribers. We will continue to update shareholders in this regard,” the MTN Group stated from its Johannesburg, South Africa Headquarters.

Analysts said the fine, which was the largest in the history of telecommunications infringements, might redefine the relationships between telecommunications operators and the regulator.

– CAJ News