Airtel Nigeria recorded the highest number of consumer complaints among the country’s four major telecommunications operators in the first half of 2026.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) disclosed this in its consumer complaint statistics for January to June, released on Monday
The statistics showed that the four major operators collectively received 413,587 complaints during the six-month period.
Airtel accounted for 228,992 complaints, representing about 55 per cent of the total complaints recorded against the operators.
MTN followed with 124,405 complaints, while Globacom and T2mobile, formerly 9mobile, recorded 56,810 and 3,885 complaints, respectively.
MTN accounted for about 30 per cent of the complaints, Globacom 14 per cent and T2mobile less than one per cent.
In spite of the volume of complaints, the operators collectively resolved 406,938 cases, representing 98.38 per cent of complaints received during the period.
Airtel resolved 99.38 per cent of its complaints, while Globacom recorded a resolution rate of 99.04 per cent.
MTN resolved 96.57 per cent of its complaints, while T2mobile recorded the lowest resolution rate at 88.57 per cent.
The NCC said the statistics provided insight into complaint trends, service-quality issues, regulatory compliance and operators’ responsiveness.
It said the complaints were handled in line with the Quality of Service Business Rules 2024 and Consumer Code of Practice Regulations 2024.
The complaints covered quality of service, billing, data depletion, failed payment transactions, top-up issues, number portability and value-added services.
They also included complaints relating to SIM-related matters and other telecommunications services.
On data depletion, MTN recorded the highest number, with 12,212 complaints during the period.
Airtel followed with 9,806 complaints, while Globacom recorded 1,373 and T2mobile five complaints.
The four operators therefore recorded a combined 23,396 complaints relating to data depletion during the six-month period.
MTN accounted for more than half of the data depletion complaints recorded across the four operators.
The complaints came amid increased consumer attention to mobile data usage and telecommunications costs following tariff adjustments approved by the NCC.
MTN has previously attributed rapid data consumption to high-definition video streaming, automatic video playback and software updates.
The operator also identified cloud backups and background applications as factors that could contribute to rapid data consumption.
It has introduced tools, including daily usage reports and a data calculator, to help customers monitor their data consumption.
The NCC has similarly identified device settings, applications, and background processes as factors that can affect data consumption.
The commission said publishing the statistics was part of efforts to promote transparency around consumer complaints and operators’ responsiveness.
It said the data would enable stakeholders to monitor complaint trends and assess compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
The NCC said consumer complaints remained an important indicator of interactions between subscribers and telecommunications service providers.
The figures provide a snapshot of the issues generating complaints and the extent to which operators addressed them during the first half of 2026.
