MON, 09 MAY, 2022-theGBJournal | The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) weekend, dismissed request by the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to increase tariffs of telecom services.
The Commission, in a very strong statement said, ‘’no tariff increase will be effected by the operators without due regulatory approval by the Commission.’’
The NCC noted that tariff regulations and determinations are made by the Commission in line with the provisions of Sections 4, 90 and 92 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, which entrusts the Commission with the protection and promotion of the interests of subscribers against unfair practices including but not limited to; matters relating to tariffs and charges.
‘’The current tarriff regime being administered by the service providers is a product of NCC’s determination both for voice and SMS in the past,’’ NCC said, adding, ‘’however, while there could be justifiable reasons for MNOs’ demand for tarrif increase, it should be noted that they are not allowed to do such either individually or collectively without recourse to NCC, following the outcome of a cost study. This is not the case for now.’’
The Commission said, ‘’through NCC’s commitment to engendering healthy competition among the licensees, the cost of services has been democratised and become more and more affordable for Nigerian subscribers. The regulator is even more committed to this cause to ensure subscribers get greater value for money spent on telecom services.’’
The demand being made by MNOs under the auspices of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), citing high cost of running their operations as the major reason for their proposed tariff hike, is contained in a letter to the Commission.
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