The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria has called on the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Nigerian Communications Commission to establish a clear framework for regulating airtime and data credit services.

Chairman of the association, Gbenga Adebayo, made the call in a statement released on Monday, while reacting to the Federal High Court’s judgment in Lagos affirming the roles of both agencies.

The court held that the FCCPC has the authority to regulate airtime and data credit services but that its powers operate alongside those of the NCC.

The court affirmed the FCCPC’s powers under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 while preserving the NCC’s exclusive responsibility for telecommunications licensing and technical regulation under the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, who delivered the judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/760/2026, ruled that the relationship between the two regulators is complementary, stating that “concurrency means coexistence, not displacement.”

Welcoming the decision, Adebayo said the ruling had provided much-needed clarity for operators in the telecommunications industry.

“The court has done something important. It has confirmed the FCCPC’s authority and, in the same breath, affirmed that the NCC’s role is preserved. Concurrency means coexistence. The industry now expects both regulators to establish the coordination framework that the court’s reasoning requires,” he said.

He urged the FCCPC and the NCC to engage industry stakeholders through formal consultations before taking enforcement actions, noting that airtime credit services were suspended for three months earlier this year following an enforcement directive before being restored.

“Forty million Nigerians depend on these services. The court has made clear that both regulators have a role. The industry is asking them to define how that works before any action that could disrupt access again,” Adebayo said.

He also pointed out that the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council’s directive of April 6, 2026, requiring all federal agencies to conduct a Regulatory Impact Assessment before introducing significant regulatory changes, remains in effect.