Nigeria Takes Steps to Avoid Repeat of Etisalat Collapse
- Regulator planning to monitor financial situation at operators
- NCC to vet bidders for 9mobile, Nigeria’s no. 4 provider
A pedestrian passes by an MTN Group Ltd. bus stop advertisement and roadside kiosk in Lagos, Nigeria, on Nov. 13, 2017.
Photographer: Tom Saater/BloombergNigeria’s telecommunications regulator said tougher financial-health checks on the country’s biggest mobile-phone companies could prevent a repeat of last year’s collapse of debt-laden Etisalat and help stabilize the industry.
The Nigerian Communications Commission has compiled reports on the financial well-being of the local units of Johannesburg-based MTN Group Ltd., the market leader with 52.3 million customers, Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Lagos-based Globacom Ltd., NCC Executive Vice-Chairman Umar Garba Danbatta said in an interview. The regulator has identified some areas of concern and these “issues that can be addressed,” he said.