The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has called on the House of Representatives to address infrastructure and policy challenges affecting telecommunications services, saying legislative summonses and sanctions alone cannot guarantee improved network quality.

ALTON Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, made the appeal in a statement following the House committee’s rejection of his request to represent telecommunications operators at a hearing on poor network services.

The House Ad Hoc Committee on Telecommunications Service Quality had directed the chief executives of MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, Mafab Communications and other operators to appear personally before it by November 4 to explain persistent service failures. It also threatened arrest warrants against executives who failed to honour the invitation.

Adebayo said the challenges undermining network performance included fibre-optic cable vandalism and cuts, inconsistent Right-of-Way charges, multiple taxation, unreliable electricity supply, bureaucratic delays and insecurity around telecommunications infrastructure.

He maintained that addressing these obstacles required coordinated action by government agencies, regulators and private operators to create an environment that supports sustained investment and network expansion.

While acknowledging the importance of legislative oversight, he said hearings should focus on identifying and resolving structural barriers to service improvement rather than creating parallel regulatory mechanisms.

Adebayo also argued that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) already had the statutory responsibility to monitor service quality, establish standards, investigate violations and sanction operators that failed to meet regulatory requirements.

He said penalties could not independently provide electricity to telecommunications sites, construct fibre networks, prevent vandalism or facilitate access to infrastructure.

The ALTON chairman further questioned the constitutional basis of the committee’s summons, saying the association had written to lawmakers on October 20 to raise concerns about the exercise of the National Assembly’s investigative powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.

He disclosed that ALTON had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in 2018 seeking an interpretation of the legislature’s oversight powers over telecommunications operators, adding that the case remained pending.

However, lawmakers have maintained that individual operators must account directly for their services because subscribers deal with each company separately.

The committee’s investigation followed complaints about dropped calls, slow internet connections, failed airtime and data transactions, as well as inadequate network coverage in several communities.

The NCC disclosed on October 20 that more than 75 million subscribers had received compensation for poor network services in 2026, while the commission had conducted over 6,500 network interventions during the year.

Adebayo said operators, regulators, lawmakers and consumers shared the objective of improving telecommunications services, but stressed that sustained investment required an enabling operating environment.