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By Chinenye Anuforo
Airtel Nigeria has introduced a new initiative that allows subscribers to monitor its network infrastructure, track ongoing upgrades and report poor service directly through its My Airtel application.
The initiative, known as Airtel Open Network, is designed to improve transparency in telecoms service delivery by giving customers access to information about active network sites, facilities undergoing upgrades and planned deployments.
Through the platform, subscribers can also report challenges such as dropped calls, slow internet speeds, poor connectivity and video buffering.
Speaking at the launch, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, commended Airtel for the initiative but stressed that its effectiveness would depend on the company’s response to customer complaints.
He said customers should be able to understand the information provided, receive assistance when services fall below expectations and see measurable improvements over time.
Maida noted that the initiative aligned with the commission’s efforts to promote transparency in telecommunications, including the development of public coverage maps, consumer satisfaction surveys and independent network performance assessments.
The platform provides subscribers with information about nearby network sites, their operational status and, where available, the expected timelines for planned deployments.
Customers can also submit complaints by identifying the affected location, the duration of the problem and whether it occurs indoors or outdoors, continuously or at specific periods.
According to Airtel, the information will provide its technical teams with more specific details to investigate service complaints and determine appropriate solutions.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, said the company spent between six months and one year developing the initiative to improve communication with subscribers and provide better visibility into its network operations.
He explained that conventional customer service complaints often lacked the precise location and circumstances required to identify the causes of network problems.
Balsingh said feedback received through the platform would be assessed alongside existing network data to determine whether a complaint required resolving an outage, optimising an existing site, increasing capacity, upgrading technology or deploying additional infrastructure.
He, however, clarified that the platform would not automatically resolve network challenges but would improve the information available to engineers responsible for investigating and addressing them.
While welcoming the initiative, Maida cautioned that the presence of network infrastructure in a location did not automatically guarantee reliable connectivity or a particular internet speed.
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He explained that network congestion, transmission limitations and other technical factors could affect service quality even when a network site was nearby.
The NCC boss urged Airtel to ensure that information displayed on the platform was accurate, understandable and regularly updated.
He also called for clear distinctions between operational sites, locations undergoing upgrades and planned deployments to prevent customers from mistaking future infrastructure projects for existing network coverage.
Maida further urged the company to investigate complaints at the local level, noting that broad coverage assessments could conceal service deficiencies in particular communities.
He stressed that subscribers who reported network problems should receive acknowledgements, clear explanations and updates on actions being taken to resolve their complaints.
Where immediate resolution was not possible, customers should be informed about the next steps and expected timelines, he added.
He also encouraged Airtel to provide alternative complaint channels for subscribers unable to access the application and to ensure responsible handling of customers’ personal and location information.
The launch comes amid increasing demand for telecommunications services and the company’s ongoing investment in network infrastructure.
Balsingh disclosed that Airtel’s data traffic increased by about 55 per cent compared with the previous year, based on figures for the quarter under review.
He said the company had expanded its network sites from approximately 13,700 to more than 17,143 over the past three years, representing an addition of 3,424 sites.
According to him, Airtel’s 4G network now covers 99 per cent of its network footprint, while the company deployed more than 1,000 5G sites in 2026 alone.
The telecommunications operator also deployed approximately 3,649 kilometres of fibre infrastructure and relocated 3,031 kilometres of damaged fibre over the preceding 18 months.
Balsingh added that Airtel’s capital expenditure for the first nine months of 2026 increased by 84 per cent compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
