Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, has confirmed that telecom tariffs in Nigeria will soon rise but not by 100%. Following a stakeholders’ meeting with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Abuja, the minister stated that consultations are ongoing to determine the final adjustment.
While MNOs have proposed a 100% tariff increase, Tijani assured the public that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would soon announce a clear directive outlining the new tariff structure. He emphasised the need for a balance that protects consumers and supports continued investment in the telecom sector.
“We want to strike the balance as a government to protect our people, but also ensure these companies can continue to invest,” Tijani said. He added that the government intends to play a more active role in infrastructure investments, moving beyond relying solely on the private sector, which often focuses on short-term returns.
The NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, echoed the minister's sentiment, noting that the industry’s sustainability is a key concern. While final tariff details are still being negotiated, Maida assured Nigerians that the increase would be less than the proposed 100%. The NCC is committed to service quality and transparency, urging MNOs to adopt clearer billing practices, such as standardising charges for voice calls, SMS, and data usage.
“It makes it often complicated and difficult for Nigerians to actually understand what they are being charged for. There is this agitation that the MNOs are stealing our data,” he said.
The CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, represented by Femi Adeniran, Airtel media spokesperson, said that the economic realities of rising operational and capital costs necessitated the proposed tariff adjustments.
Balsingh said that for the telecommunications companies to deliver superior connectivity and foster digital inclusion, there is need for tariff increments. “The economic realities of rising operational and capital costs necessitated the proposed tariff adjustments.
No comments:
Post a Comment