By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has ordered telecommunication companies to reverse their recent 10 per cent hike in calls and data prices.
This decision means that telcos like MTN Nigeria and Airtel, who had initially increased the prices of their data bundles by about 10 per cent, will now need to revert to their old prices.
This was revealed by the Nigerian Communications Commission in a statement on Wednesday.
The commission said the initial consideration for 10 per cent approval for tariff adjustments for different voice and data packages was in line with the mandates of the agency as provided by the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and other extant Regulations and Guidelines, as this was within the provisions of the existing price floor and price cap as determined for the industry.
Since the turn of the year, telcos have been agitating for an upward price review of their services because of increases in their cost of production.
This is as they continue to battle increased costs of operations amid multi-year high inflation numbers and biting hikes in interest rates.
A statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Mr Reuben Muoka, said, “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 per cent 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 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.”
On its part, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) wrote to the NCC that the cost of operation for telcos has increased by 40 per cent since the Russia-Ukraine war started.
