Nigerians panic as MTN, others send message about network freeze during elections

Many Nigerians have expressed fear following MTN’s message informing Nigerians and subscribers that there would be a network freeze during the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria.

Africa’s largest telecom network, MTN, specifically stated it had planned a network freeze during the presidential elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

The company also said another freeze is scheduled to begin on the 10th and end on the 15 of March 2023.

The company asked Nigerians not to be alarmed, stating that contrary to popular belief, network freeze is a common practice in the telecoms ecosystem which is meant to reduce the chances of network outages during a period.

It’s important to note that there is no reason to be alarmed by this announcement.

Let’s explain why below. Per a report, during a network freeze, the operators suspend any maintenance work that may disrupt the Network or affect the customer experience.

Network freezes are a period of network stability as the company will halt all maintenance activities during the freeze period, only interfering with emergency time.

MTN explains

No core network upgrades occur during the freeze period or maintenance as they might cause changes and disrupt service delivery. The purpose is to restrict non-important activities on the Network for a crucial period like the general elections.

According to reports, MTN will implement the network freeze and other networks during the 2023 elections, as there will be network stability during the period as all maintenance activities are suspended.

It will ensure uninterrupted telecom services and continued digital connection of election-related communications during the election period.

MTN said: “About the network freeze…we don’t implement changes on our Network during critical times to minimize the chance of an outage. Keeping the Network as it is, is a common practice in telecoms referred to as a Network Freeze,” the telecom operator stated.