Banks, MTN resolve USSD dispute, reconnect subscribers

Commercial banks have reconnected customers of MTN Nigeria to the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code for airtime vending.

This is coming about four days after they were disconnected over dispute regarding USSD accumulated debt.

This followed the intervention of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami, and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele.

The banks on Thursday night had disconnected only MTN customers from accessing the USSD code on airtime vending from all channels linked to USSD code.

According to the banks, they took the decision because MTN reduced the discount offered to banks on airtime sales from four per cent to 2.5 per cent.

MTN’s action did not go down well with the banks, which cited the cut making the cost of managing the infrastructure and other operational costs they incurred as being unprofitable for them.

It was learnt that many MTN customers were able to access the code on Sunday as they successfully bought MTN airtime from their bank accounts.

MTN and the Nigerian Communications Commission said the banks had reconnected all MTN customers hitherto disconnected.

Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, said the minister had to intervene after a meeting with Emefiele.

“The customers have been reconnected; the telecoms industry is happy; MTN customers are happy and the banks are also happy,” Adinde said.