19th July, 2021
Airtel Nigeria has cleared the air over the issue of its operating license.
The stamenent by Airtel on Monday followed NCC’s confirmation that the operating license of the telco has not been renewed.
Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, on Sunday, had said;
“The attention of the NCC was drawn to a recent statement on an online publication, credited to the Managing Director of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, to the effect that the mobile operating license of Airtel had been renewed by the Commission, for another period of 10 years.
“Mr. Ogunsanya was said to have made the statement while speaking in Lagos on July 14, 2021, during the media launch of Airtel’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, ‘Touching Lives 6”.
Adinde said that the Commission stated that while Airtel Nigeria had applied for the renewal of the Unified Access Service (UASL) License granted to it by the Commission, the application is yet to be approved, adding that it is undergoing the required regulatory process.
However, Airtel, in a statement released today, stated that it was a case of misunderstanding.
The telco noted that its Managing Director mentioned social license and not operating license as widely reported.
The statement reads
During the launch of our flagship corporate social responsibility program titled Airtel Touching Lives, last week, a contrast was drawn between operating license and social license.
Whilst the operating license is issued by NCC, we stated that a social license is earned by what a company does for its communities. We are very proud of our Touching Lives Program which gives support to the less privileged in our communities.
However, for clarity, an operating license is always issued by NCC and our current license expires in November 2021. We have applied to NCC for its renewal ahead of this expiry date and the renewal process is in progress but yet to be concluded.
We look forward to working with our various communities on the 6th edition of our Airtel Touching Lives Program.
Emeka Oparah Vice President
Corporate Communications & CSR