Mobile network operator MTN has apologised to its Nigerian customers after users reported outages in many parts of the country on Saturday.

The disruption affected calls and data services.

“No single network in my MTN and that’s where I have data, am using my Airtel and enjoying free mode in peace,” a user, Morris Favour, wrote on Facebook.

“This is terrible, in fact I had switched and turned off my phone countless times,” another user lamented.

The telco firm said on its Facebook page: “Some of our customers are having difficulty connecting to the network today. We’re looking into this and are truly sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

The outage started in the afternoon, just days after the social media giant, Facebook, suffered an extensive outage that affected online activities around the world.

The South African-owned MTN is the largest telecoms provider in Nigeria, which provides the company its biggest market.

As of December 2020, MTN recorded 280 million subscribers, making it the eighth largest mobile network operator in the world, and the largest in Africa.

It is active in over 20 countries, and one-third of company’s revenue comes from Nigeria, where it holds about 35% market share.

PT