Airtel Nigeria is letting subscribers inspect the network map and complain about spots where service fails.
Airtel Nigeria's Open Network initiative lets subscribers see the network infrastructure around their locations, check the status of network sites and report service quality problems directly through the MyAirtel app.
Service quality remains a concern as demand for mobile voice and data keeps rising, putting pressure on operators to improve. Last week, the House of Representatives summoned telecommunications company chief executives to explain ongoing service problems and warned that noncompliance could lead to arrest. The move followed earlier concerns about weak network quality despite infrastructure spending and measures by regulators to protect subscribers.
Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, announced the initiative on Friday in Lagos. The event took place on Friday, 30 October 2026, with Nigerian Communications Commission Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida in attendance.
Subscribers can find the feature in the MyAirtel app. From the home screen, they go to the Quick Actions section. The platform may ask to use their location so it can display nearby network infrastructure.
How a subscriber files a report
What the colours on the map mean
The map uses three colours. Red marks active sites currently serving a location. Blue marks active sites that are being upgraded. Black marks planned sites that are not yet running.
| Colour | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Red | Active network sites currently serving locations |
| Blue | Active sites undergoing upgrades |
| Black | Planned sites not yet operational |
Airtel said its technical teams would review feedback and use it to improve network performance.
The company says the feature is meant to promote transparency and give customers a digital channel to describe their experience. In its words, the feature "aims to improve transparency, strengthen customer engagement, and help the telecommunications operator identify network problems more accurately by gathering location-specific feedback from subscribers."
Balsingh described the initiative as a technology-driven way to understand customer experience and direct network investment where it's needed most. He said the platform gives more detail on where customers encounter problems, helping technical teams investigate and choose the right fix.
The initiative aims to improve transparency, strengthen customer engagement, and help the telecommunications operator identify network problems more accurately by gathering location-specific feedback from subscribers.
Tinubu and the regulator weigh in
President Bola Tinubu welcomed the launch as a positive step towards transparency, consumer protection and better telecommunications services. He linked it to broader efforts to make the sector more open, citing the NCC's publicly available network coverage maps, performance information and consumer satisfaction surveys. These resources, he said, help Nigerians see what services are available and hold operators to account.
Tinubu also linked the launch to private investment and broadband expansion. He said sustained infrastructure spending is essential to widen broadband access, lift network capacity and support businesses, education and economic opportunity across the country.
He also praised Airtel's expansion record, saying the company had about 15,000 sites two years ago and now has more than 17,000 across the country. More than 1,050 sites were added in Airtel's 2025/26 financial year, including 657 5G sites.
The president urged operators to keep investing, especially in underserved communities, and ensure customer complaints get timely attention. He said the success of any investment or innovation must be measured by the experience of Nigerians who rely on these services for their livelihoods, businesses and daily communication. Operators, he said, should turn spending into better coverage, fewer disruptions and more responsive customer service. He commended the NCC under Maida for strengthening oversight, promoting transparency and protecting consumers.
Dr Aminu Maida, the NCC's Executive Vice Chairman, welcomed the initiative, saying it reflects the regulator's increased focus on transparency and giving consumers more power. Nigerians deserve reliable connectivity, he said, as they increasingly depend on telecommunications for business, education and communication.
Operators often announce new sites and extra capacity, Maida said, but subscribers care more about when that spending shows up as better service where they live. Better access to network information, he said, can narrow the gap between what operators build and what customers expect.
For anyone reading the map, that caveat matters. A red pin at the end of the street shows a site is active and serving the area. But it doesn't show how many people are sharing that site, how the traffic reaches it or what speed a phone will get indoors. The report form asks about exactly these things: indoors or outdoors, how long the problem has lasted, and whether it strikes at particular times or all day.
What we know
- Airtel Nigeria announced the initiative in Lagos on Friday, 30 October 2026.
- The map marks active sites in red, sites under upgrade in blue and planned sites in black.
- President Tinubu said Airtel's sites grew from about 15,000 two years ago to more than 17,000.
Still unclear
- How many subscribers have used the feature, and how many reports have been filed.
- How quickly Airtel commits to acting on a report, or any service-level target.
- Whether the complaints feed is shared with the NCC or published anywhere.
- Whether the feature is open to all subscribers or only app users on certain plans.
- The date of the House of Representatives hearing on service quality.
Airtel Nigeria hasn't said how many subscribers have used the feature or how many reports have come in. The company hasn't specified how quickly it will respond to a report or set a service-level target. It also hasn't said whether it shares complaints data with the NCC or publishes it, or whether the feature is available to every subscriber or only app users on certain plans.
The House of Representatives hasn't set a date for its hearing. The test of whether the map turns complaints into fixes will come when the chief executives appear.
