…As Telcos implement approved 50% hike
…Tariff increase violates FG’s 50% approval – Consumers
By Charles Ebi
MTN has increased the price of its data subscriptions as telecommunications operators in Nigeria have begun the implementation of the 50% price increment recently approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission ,NCC.
The revised MTN data prices show that MTN’s 1.8GB monthly plan now goes for N1,500.
This replaces the previous 1.5GB plan priced at N1,000.
The 20GB plan has been adjusted to N7,500, up from N5,500, while the 15GB plan now costs N6,500, a rise from N4,500.
While other mobile operators comprising Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile are yet to update their data prices as of the time of filling this report, AljazirahNigeria can confirm that all the networks are now charging N6.00 for text messages, instead of the previous N4.00.
The increment in the price of text message reflects the 50% approved by the NCC.
According to telecom industry sources, the telcos got the final approval for their new tariff plans on Monday and all the operators are in the process of adjusting their data and voice plans.
Speaking at a forum two weeks ago, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria ,ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo disclosed that all the operator had sent their new tariff plans to the NCC and were awaiting approval.
MTN and other Telecoms providers had demanded a 100% hike but the NCC and other regulatory agencies declined the request, citing economic hardship.
“The adjustment, capped at a maximum of 50 per cent of current tariffs, though lower than the over 100% requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability”, NCC spokesperson, Reuben Mouka said.
The NCC had on January 20 announced that it had approved a 50% tariff adjustment for telecom operators, citing rising operational costs and the need to sustain the industry.
The Commission in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, said the decision underlines the Commission’s regulatory role under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
However, the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers ,NATCOMS, has threatened to challenge the approved tariff hike in court.
This decision, according to NATCOMS, was made without adequate consultation with key stakeholders, including subscribers.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has defended the 50% hike in tariff approval granted to the telecom operators, saying it was necessary to keep the telecom industry viable.
It, however, noted that the approval does not mean that the telecom operators must immediately increase their tariffs by 50%.
“It is important to highlight that this approval does not mean automatic increases in tariffs. Operators are free to maintain their current rates if they find them sustainable”, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre, stated in a recent statement.
While describing the approval as an important step aimed at addressing critical challenges in the telecommunications sector, the Centre noted that the telecom industry in Nigeria had operated under static price mechanisms for over a decade as prices have remained unchanged since 2013, despite significant increases in the cost of operations.
