Telecoms: “Under new tariff, call rates to move from ₦11 to ₦18; ₦287 data bundle to ₦479″ – Minister

Telecoms new tariff

Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that the anticipated hike in telecom service prices may push the floor costs of calls, SMS, and data up by between 30 and 60%.

Minister Bosun Tijani

This is less than the 100 percent that telecommunication firms have asked for. The Minister disclosed this recently while appearing on a television programme, where he insisted that the 100% increment requested by the telecom operators is impossible.

The Minister noted that the increase will be between 30% and 60%. “It shouldn’t be more than anywhere between 30% to 60%”, he stated.

If the 60 percent is adopted, the average cost of phone calls will increase from ₦11 to ₦18.33 per minute, SMS charges will rise from ₦4 to ₦6.67, and the price of a 1GB bundle will increase from ₦287.5 to ₦479.17.

Tijani highlighted that increasing costs by 100% will be harmful to citizens who are dependent on telecom services. According to him, “This sector is responsible for driving growth in our country, it will be harmful to our people to allow the MNOs to increase by 100 percent”.

This announcement follows a decade-long agitation for tariff hikes by telcos, who have faced a harsh operating environment that has spiked their operating cost by 300% over the years. Record losses since 2023 after a significant devaluation of the naira have further compounded telcos’ woes, increasing their requests for tariff hikes.

Recall that in December, Tijani agreed that tariffs would go up in the interests of the industry’s sustainability. The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, had earlier emphasised that while telcos have asked for a 100% increase, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) may not approve that quantum of increase, as it is sensitive to the country’s current economic situation.

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