Survey of Quality of Service Parameters for Airtime Recharge Failure on Nigerian Mobile Networks

Airtime recharge is the primary mechanism through which Nigerian prepaid mobile subscribers activate voice and data services, and failures in the recharge transaction process directly affect subscriber access and operator revenue. Despite its practical significance, the technical reliability of airtime recharge channels has received limited academic attention. This study surveys the quality of service parameters related to airtime recharge failure across the MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile networks in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. A controlled testing protocol was adopted, executing 800 recharge transactions across four channels: electronic PIN vouchers, USSD short codes, mobile application top-ups, and bank transfer top-ups. Transactions were distributed evenly across operators, channels, and time periods over eight weeks. Failure rates, transaction processing time, and resolution time for failed transactions were recorded for each combination. Overall airtime recharge failure rates averaged 6.8% across all operators and channels, with USSD recharge on Glo recording the highest failure rate of 12.4%. Electronic voucher PIN transactions were most reliable at a 2.1% failure rate. Processing time variability was highest for bank transfer top-ups, ranging from 12 seconds to 47 minutes. Consumer complaint data supplemented the experimental findings, with airtime recharge issues constituting 23% of all complaints filed with NCC in Ogun State during the study period. Recommendations include mandatory real-time transaction monitoring, automated rollback protocols for failed deductions, and NCC-mandated failure rate thresholds. Keywords: airtime recharge, quality of service, mobile network, transaction failure, NCC.