The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it has not approved a tariff hike for data and voice calls.
The NCC made the clarification on Saturday through its X handle following reports that the regulator approved a tariff raise for network operators.
Reports claimed, “The Nigerian Communications Commission has approved tariff increases for MTN, Airtel, Glo, and other telecom companies. The new increase affects voice, SMS, data, and other services across the telecom industry.
“The new increase will see Nigerians pay more for telecom services.”
However, the regulator denied the claim of approving the increase of tariff.
“The NCC has neither approved any new Telecom Tariff Plans nor hike as reported online. The public is advised to please disregard. NCC issued a directive for all operators to simplify their current tariff plans in a transparent & fair manner for consumers,” NCC said on X.
The Association of Licensed Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) had engaged the federal government and the NCC to facilitate a constructive dialogue with industry stakeholders to address pricing challenges and establish a framework that balances consumers’ affordability with operators’ financial viability.
“Despite the adverse economic headwinds, the telecommunications industry remains the only industry yet to review its general service pricing framework upward in the last 11 years, primarily due to regulatory constraints.
“For a fully liberalised and deregulated sector, the current price control mechanism, which is not aligned with economic realities, threatens the industry’s sustainability and can erode investors’ confidence,” ALTON and ATCON said in a joint statement released in April, 2024.
