By Adedapo Adesanya

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has threatened to start service shedding if the plans to increase tariffs are not implemented as soon as possible.

In a statement in Lagos, the Chairman of ALTON, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, said the Nigerian telecommunications industry was facing a critical challenge that required urgent attention.

He argued that operators were struggling to survive due to rising operational costs and stagnant tariffs.

“As we reflect on the end of year 2024, there is a need to issue an urgent and critical call to action for the future of our telecommunications industry.

“The survival of the sector demands immediate and bold reform for its sustainability.

“Tariffs must be reviewed to reflect the economic realities of delivering telecoms services at a minimum for industry sustainability,” he said.

The ALTON boss warned that without this review, operators could not continue to guarantee service availability, adding that the sector might face grim consequences, noting some consequences to include service shedding, economic fallout, and national economic disruption.

Mr Adebayo explained that service shedding would mean that operators may not provide services in some areas and at some times of the day, leaving millions of Nigerians disconnected.

“This will have significant economic fallouts, as businesses will suffer from a lack of connectivity, stalling growth and innovation,” he said.

Mr Adebayo also warned of national economic disruption, noting that key sectors like security, commerce, healthcare, and education, which rely heavily on telecoms infrastructure, would face serious disruptions.

He also stressed that the challenges facing the industry are not new, adding that, however, they had become more acute and more threatening with the passing year.

He cited rising operational costs, skyrocketing energy costs, the relentless pressure of inflation, and volatile exchange rates.

The ALTON boss expressed confidence that stakeholders would come together to uphold the values and importance of telecommunications in society, adding that more needed to be done to secure the future of the industry.

Mr Adebayo called on stakeholders to acknowledge the urgency of the situation and commit to saving the sector, warning that failure to act may jeopardise one of the most critical pillars of Nigeria’s development.

He stated that ALTON stood ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure the sector’s survival and prosperity.

“Let this be the moment when we come together, acknowledge the urgency of the situation, and commit to saving this sector.

“If we fail to act, history will record that we had countless warnings, yet we allowed inaction to jeopardise one of the most critical pillars of Nigeria’s development.

“If we succeed, 2025 can be the year we turn things around, a year of hope, resilience, and sustainability for the telecoms industry,” Mr Adebayo said.

Business Post reports that telecoms tariffs could rise by up to 40 per cent based on stakeholders’ proposals.

According to reports, if implemented, the cost of a phone call will increase from N11 to N15.40 per minute, SMS charges will rise from N4 to N5.60, and the base price of a 1GB bundle will increase from N1,000 to at least N1,400.

By Dipo Olowookere

From Friday, January 27, 2025, residents of Nigeria who intend to remain with the popular satellite internet service provider (ISP), Starlink, will have to cough out at least N75,000 per month to access internet services.

The company, owned by Mr Elon Musk, who also owns the popular social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, has already informed its customers of this development.

At the moment, the subscription rate is N38,000 per month, but the 97.37 per cent increase will take effect next month for existing customers.

In a notice to its users on Friday, Starlink, however, said new users will pay the new price of N75,000 per month for the residential package, explaining that the price hike was due to high operational costs in the country.

This is not the first time Starlink is raising its monthly service plan but at the last time, it was prevailed on by the government to reverse the action.

In the statement yesterday, the ISP said it had to jack up the price in its efforts to maintain delivery of high-quality internet service across the country and enhance its network infrastructure.

“These changes reflect our commitment to investing in the infrastructure needed to support and improve your experience with Starlink,” a part of the disclosure stated.

According to the notice, the Standard Residential will now cost N75,000, the Mobile – Regional Roam Unlimited Package will go for N167,000, and the Mobile – Global Roam Bouquet is now N717,000.

However, it advised subscribers who want to cancel their subscriptions to do so at their convenience.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Relatively unknown Nigerian telecommunication company, Mafab Communications, after multiple delays, will now commence operations before the end of the first quarter of 2025.

As per TechCabal, the company which secured a 5G licence alongside MTN Nigeria Plc in December 2021, will start rolling out its services by the end of March 2025.

Mafab will launch its 5G services with 102 operational sites in Kano and Abuja and subscribers will need to buy routers to connect to the network, according to the company’s chief operating officer, Mr Adebayo Onigbanjo.

This will mark the first time Mafab’s services will be commercially available, nearly three years after the company entered the 5G market alongside MTN.

It obtained the licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for $273.6 million but delayed its rollout, while its competitor, MTN, started in August 2022 in a few cities.

According to the company’s executive, Mafab’s operations were impacted by the Nigerian operational environment, particularly foreign exchange challenges.

“As with many telecoms operators, foreign exchange (FX) fluctuations have been a major challenge, leading to increased rollout costs compared to the initial projections,” Mr Onigbanjo told Tech Cabal.

Business Post reports that  Mafab in January 2023 held a ceremony at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, to commence operations in the country, promising to deepen broadband penetration.

“We are fully committed to bringing the benefits of 5G services to Nigerians and deploying a network that will drive economic development with increased broadband capabilities nationwide.

“I have no doubt that the service will help deliver improvements in the fields of education, business, smart cities and entertainment,” the Chairman of Mafab, Mr Mushabu Bashir, said at the 2023 event.

While Mafab has continued to delay its operations, more established telcos like MTN and Airtel have continued to dominate the 5G market. MTN currently holds almost 80 per cent of the market share, while Airtel has the remaining 20 per cent.