The Nigerian Communications Commission, (NCC), has approved a long-awaited telecom tariff hike, ending over a decade of lobbying by major operators like MTN Nigeria, Airtel, and 9Mobile.
New rates for calls, SMS, and internet bundles will take effect in January 2025, with tariffs expected to rise by up to 40%.
Under the revised structure, call charges will increase from ?11 to ?15.40 per minute, SMS costs will rise from ?4 to ?5.60, and a 1GB data bundle will cost at least ?1,400, up from ?1,000.
This marks the end of over a decade of lobbying by telecom giants like MTN Nigeria, Airtel, and 9Mobile, who have called for price adjustments to reflect economic realities. Despite soaring operational costs driven by headline inflation, telecom operators have been unable to raise prices for 11 years.
According to the spokesperson for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), further details of the tariff adjustments would be shared in an official announcement. This announcement will benefit the subscribers and operators because we have taken into account the proposals from the industry and the public, the NCC spokesperson stated.
Recall that Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, during an interview on a television programme on December 20, acknowledged the need for price adjustments, stating: We think there may be a need for that.
Despite the grim outlook in the telecoms sector for much of the year, President of the Association of Licenced Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria, (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, argues that cost-reflective prices will incentivise investment and help improve quality in the long run.
