USSD Debt: NCC Grants Telcos Approval to Disconnect Nine Banks
By Al-Mustapha Mustapha

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), including MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, to disconnect the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes of nine commercial banks from their networks.

This decision follows prolonged complaints by the telecom operators about unpaid debts owed by the banks for USSD services, even as the banks continue to charge their customers for the same.

In a notice issued on Wednesday, the NCC identified the affected banks as First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Zenith Bank, Sterling Bank, Jaiz Bank, UBA, Polaris Bank, Unity Bank, Fidelity Bank, and Wema Bank.

The notice stated that if these banks fail to settle their debts within a two-week grace period, their USSD services will be disconnected. This would prevent millions of customers from conducting transactions using the USSD platform.

“In fulfilment of its consumer protection mandate, the Commission wishes to inform consumers that they may be unable to access the USSD platform of the affected financial institutions from January 27, 2025,” the NCC announced. The statement was signed by Reuben Muoka, the Commission's Director of Public Affairs.

The regulator further explained that as of Tuesday, January 14, 2025, nine out of 18 financial institutions had failed to comply significantly with the directives outlined in the Second Joint Circular of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the NCC, issued on December 20, 2024. The circular mandated the settlement of outstanding invoices due to MNOs, some of which date back to 2020.

The NCC’s decision highlights the ongoing dispute between telecom operators and banks over the settlement of USSD charges, a service critical to financial transactions in Nigeria.