Thousands of telecommunications subscribers across Nigeria have been grappling with service disruptions over the past week, as major network operators, including 9Mobile and Airtel, battle power outages and infrastructure faults in affected areas, THE WHISTLER can report.
The issues subscribers face include prolonged blackouts affecting voice, SMS and data services.
The affected customers are Airtel and 9Mobile subscribers in Lagos, Enugu, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Abia.
The nationwide disruptions have underscored vulnerabilities in telecom infrastructure.
The outages have left customers stranded, impacting everything from basic communication to digital transactions and business operations.
Data seen by THE WHISTLER from the platform of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that residents of Ikorodu in Lagos are currently experiencing disruptions in SMS, voice, and data services from 9Mobile following a power outage that began in the early hours of June 9, 2025.
The outage has been traced to a diesel shortage at the network’s switch site, leading to a complete power failure. As of now, the issue has persisted for nearly nine hours, with restoration efforts still ongoing.
Other affected customers are Airtel subscribers. Airtel customers in Ughelli South, Delta State, have been facing a prolonged disruption in data services due to an ongoing power outage that began on June 7, 2025.
The outage stems from multiple generator faults at site DL0231 — DG1 has a faulty injector pump, while DG2 remains unstable due to the same issue.
THE WHISTLER understands that key network sites ZDLBS03 and ZDLRN03 are still down, affected by under-voltage power supply, leaving connectivity in the area severely impacted.
Also, widespread service disruption is affecting Airtel subscribers across several local government areas in Akwa Ibom, including Abak, Eket, Etinan, and Mbo.
Since the evening of June 6, 2025, customers have experienced outages in SMS, voice, and data services due to multiple fibre cuts along key transmission routes.
The disruption is linked to damage on three major fibre paths: Uyo–Calabar, Uyo–Aba, and Uyo–Umuahia. On the Uyo–Aba route, an aerial cable was pulled down by a heavy-duty truck just 12 km from Uyo, prompting an urgent damage assessment.
On the Uyo–Calabar path, the point of failure was located 25 km out, with a team already en route to restore service. Restoration efforts are also underway on the Uyo–Umuahia line, though security concerns have delayed access to the affected site.
Subscribers of 9Mobile in Enugu have been enduring a week-long service outage affecting USSD, SMS, voice, and data services across key areas including Enugu East, Enugu North, Enugu South, Nsukka, and Udenu. The disruption, which began on June 1, 2025, has significantly impacted communication and digital transactions in the region.
The root cause of the outage has been traced to a faulty injector and a malfunctioning oil pressure sensor on the diesel generator at the Enugu switch site (B2191).
With power supply compromised, the network has remained down, leaving thousands of users disconnected as technical teams work to resolve the issue.
Recall that the NCC mandated telecom firms to inform consumers of major service outages on their networks through media channels.
The NCC said service providers must inform subscribers of the service interruption, and the area affected by the service interruption or outage, as well as the time that would be taken to restore service.
NCC said, “Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers and other operators that provide last mile services will also provide proportional compensation, including extension of validity, as may be applicable and in line with the provisions of the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations, where any major network outage continues for more than 24 hours.”
