Business
Nigeria regulator demands better phone service from mobile opertors
“MTN is engaged with the regulator on the content and consequences of the allegations,” MTN said.
Globacom, known as Glo, is the second largest mobile phone service provider in Nigeria, with more than 25 million subscribers. A company spokesman could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Airtel entered the Nigerian market last year after purchasing Kuwait-based Zain. Emeka Opara, a spokesman in Nigeria for Airtel, declined to comment.
Nigeria, has relied on mobile phones since the government granted the public access to them about a decade ago. Landlines remain almost nonexistent, as the state-run telephone company has collapsed and repeated efforts to sell it to a private company have failed.
The ultimatum by the commission comes as Nigeria, home to 150 million people, continues its explosive growth, making it a lucrative market for mobile phone service providers. The arrival of Airtel sparked a price war in the market, with local phone calls now down to pennies a minute.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
