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Application by Airtel Nigeria for renewal of its Unified Access Service Licence (UASL) has not been approved, says telecoms regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The regulator, in a statement at the weekend, said approval for the application is still pending and undergoing required regulatory process to counter a statement allegedly made by Managing Director/Chief Executive Office of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Olusegun Ogunsanya, that the mobile operating licence of Airtel has been renewed by the NCC for another period of 10 years.
“Commission wishes to state that while Airtel Nigeria has applied for the renewal of the Unified Access Service (UASL) Licence granted to it by the Commission, the application is yet to be approved as it is still undergoing required regulatory process,” noted the statement signed by Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde.
Our CEO was misquoted – Airtel
Airtel has officially stated that its CEO was misquoted.
“For clarity, an operating license is always issued by NCC and our current license expires in November 2021. We have applied to NCC for its renewal ahead of this expiry date and the renewal process is in progress but yet to be concluded“, said the telco in a statement signed by Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR, Emeka Oparah.
Airtel is Nigeria’s second largest mobile network. As at May 2021, the NCC record shows that Airtel controls about 27.00% of the market share with more than 50 million subscribers.
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READ STATEMENT BY NCC.
The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to a recent statement on an online publication credited to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Office of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Olusegun Ogunsanya, to the effect that the mobile operating licence of Airtel has been renewed by the Commission for another period of 10 years.
Mr. Ogunsanya was said to have made the statement while speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, July 14, 202, during the media launch of Airtel’s corporate social responsibility programme, ‘Touching Lives 6’.
The Commission wishes to state that while Airtel Nigeria has applied for the renewal of the Unified Access Service (UASL) Licence granted to it by the Commission, the application is yet to be approved as it is still undergoing required regulatory process.
This statement is issued for the guidance of our stakeholders.
