N250 Billion Debt: Mobile Operators, MTN, Airtel, GLO others threaten to Suspend USSD Services

Network Service Providers

The News Chronicle reports that Mobile network operators (MNOs), including MTN, have warned that they may suspend support for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services used in banking operations. 

This could happen if the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) do not resolve the growing debt issue of around N250 billion owed to these operators.

The debt has accumulated due to the widespread use of USSD services for various banking activities, such as transferring money, checking account balances, and paying for services.

USSD is a communication protocol used in GSM systems to send text messages, and it plays a crucial role in mobile banking transactions.

However, operators are concerned about the financial strain caused by unpaid debts, which may lead them to stop offering this service, pending regulatory approval.

The News Chronicle