Sidebar

Exclusive Reports

28
Thu, Mar

NCC To Reverse Increment In Telecom Tariff

Trending Now
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that attention has been drawn to a report making rounds in the media of the unilateral implementation of the just approved 10 percent increment of tariff for voice and data services by the service providers on its networks, which was in line with the mandate of the Commission as stipulated by the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and other extant Regulations and Guidelines. The statement reads: “The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has maintained that his priority is to protect the citizens and ensure justice to all stakeholders involved. As such, anything that will bring more hardship at this critical time will not be accepted.

“This was also why he obtained the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari for the suspension of the proposed 5 percent excise duty, in order to maintain a conducive enabling environment for the telecom operators. Much as there is an increase in the cost of production, the provision of telecom services is still very profitable and it is necessary that the subscribers are not subjected to a hike in charges.

“In view of the above, the Commission, through a letter sent on the 12th of October 2022, has already directed the affected Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to reverse the upward tariff adjustment. The Commission will carry out further consultations with all industry stakeholders on the best approaches that will protect and uphold the interest of both the consumers and the service providers.”

For instance, Airtel has increased its monthly bundle for data plan to N1,100 for 1.5GB monthly data; N1200 for 2GB monthly data; N1,500 for 3GB monthly data; N2,200 for 4.5GB monthly data; N2,500 for 6GB monthly data; N3,300 for 10GB monthly data; N4,400 for 11GB monthly data; N5,500 for 20GB monthly data.

On the other hand, MTN also increased its monthly bundle for data plan to N1,100 for 1.5GB monthly data; N1,200 for 2GB monthly data; N1,500 for 3GB monthly data; N2,200 for 4.5GB monthly data; N2,500 for 6GB monthly data; N3,500 for 12GB; N5500 for 20GB monthly data; N6,000 for 25GB monthly data.

The Commission will continue to entrench very transparent processes and procedures for rate determination in the industry. The process is usually carried out with wide industry consultation. It is through these processes that price floors and price caps for data and voice services are benchmarked, regularly reviewed, and determined from time to time.

The Commission will continue to abide by this time-tested process and international best practices to ensure efficient pricing mechanisms for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.

 

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS