MTN Nigeria has rewarded its subscribers with free data and airtime for national calls & SMS, as compensation for the network outage that occurred on October 9, 2021.
This was confirmed by MTN’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola in a statement issued on Sunday.
The CEO’s message was to apologise to customers who were affected by the outage and to notify them of the company’s decision to compensate them with free airtime and data.
DAILY GIST had reported that there was a service outage across the country on Saturday,October 9 which made MTN users unable to access the call, data, SMS and other services.
Toriola in his message said; “Dear Subscriber, we apologise again for the outage on October 9. This video message is for you to watch free of charge: bit.ly/message-from-karl.
“You’ve been refunded MB + N126.34 airtime for national calls & SMS valid for 14 days, till October 31. To check your balance, dial *556#.”
“In addition, time-bound subscriptions are being extended to ensure full value is delivered,” Toriola added.
The statement reads in full;
“On behalf of the entire MTN team, I want to start with a heartfelt apology. We are truly sorry for the disruption this caused for so many in our MTN family. We know that millions of people rely on us to stay connected to their loved ones, to manage their businesses, to coordinate their lives. We take that responsibility, and privilege, very seriously. That’s why we are putting new measures in place to make sure we never experience anything like last Saturday again,” said Toriola.
On the cause of the outage, the CEO stated that it was due to an error that shifted all 4G customers onto the 3G band and impacted the whole network, adding that the technical teams were able to rectify the problem.
“Our technical teams have traced the cause of the problem to an error that shifted all our 4G customers onto the 3G band. This overloaded the 3G band, causing a domino effect that impacted the whole network.
“Our engineers were able to resolve the problem. I know that recently other technology companies have suffered outages. I want to reassure you that last Saturday’s event is in no way connected to those. This wasn’t sabotaged, it was a regrettable error.’’
Beyond extending time-bound subscriptions for its customers and as a way to further compensate its customers, the telecom giant said that customers on the MTN network have received a refund for the data and airtime that they used between 12noon and 7pm on Saturday, 16th October 2021.
“While we can’t give you back the time you lost last Saturday, we can give you back what you spent yesterday. Every customer on the MTN network has received a refund for the data and airtime that they used between 10 am and 3 pm yesterday. We hope it shows how much we value our customers.
“You truly are our most important focus. We all have challenges, each and every one of us – young or old, personally or professionally. What matters is how we respond. With you by our side, we will continue to improve and grow. Thank you for all your support. Thank you for walking with us over the last 20 years. We look forward to the next 20 and more with you,” Toriola stated.
