Airtel Nigeria has introduced a new platform that allows subscribers to monitor its network infrastructure, track ongoing upgrades and report poor service through its My Airtel application. The initiative, known as Airtel Open Network is aimed at improving transparency in telecommunications by providing customers with information about active network sites, facilities undergoing upgrades and planned infrastructure deployments.
Through the platform, subscribers can also report service challenges, including 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 success would depend on how effectively the company responds to customer complaints. Maida said subscribers should be able to understand the information provided, receive assistance when services fall below expectations and experience measurable improvements. He noted that the initiative aligns with the NCC’s efforts to promote transparency in the telecommunications sector through public coverage maps, consumer satisfaction surveys and independent network performance assessments.
The platform allows customers to identify nearby network sites, check their operational status and access expected timelines for planned deployments where available. Subscribers can also submit complaints by providing details of the affected location, duration of the problem and whether the issue occurs indoors or outdoors, continuously or at specific times.
Airtel Nigeria’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dinesh Balsingh, said the company spent between six months and one year developing the platform to improve communication with customers and provide greater visibility into its network operations.He explained that complaints received through conventional customer service channels often lacked the specific location details needed to identify and address network problems.
According to Balsingh, feedback submitted through Airtel Open Network would be assessed alongside existing network data to determine whether an issue requires fixing an outage, optimising an existing site, increasing capacity, upgrading technology or deploying additional infrastructure. He clarified that the platform would not automatically resolve network problems but would provide engineers with more detailed information to investigate complaints. Maida, however, cautioned that the presence of network infrastructure in an area does not necessarily guarantee reliable connectivity or a particular internet speed, as factors such as network congestion and transmission limitations can affect service quality. The NCC chief also called on the company to acknowledge customer complaints, provide clear explanations and communicate expected timelines for resolving reported problems.
Meanwhile, Balsingh disclosed that Airtel’s data traffic had increased by approximately 55 per cent compared with the previous year. He said the company’s network sites had grown from about 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. He added that Airtel had deployed approximately 3,649 kilometres of fibre infrastructure and relocated 3,031 kilometres of damaged fibre over the preceding 18 months. The company’s capital expenditure for the first nine months of 2026 also increased by 84 per cent compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
