MTN, GLO, Airtel, 9mobile hints at increasing tariff

Tamarauemi Ebimini

Telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria Airtel, MTN, 9Mobile, and Glo, are proposing an increment of tariff.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on Thursday, in a joint statement said the current price control mechanism is not at par with the economic realities.

Consequently, they are seeking the government’s intervention to address challenges concerning prices.

The four telecommunications giants stated that they were the only ones that have not reviewed their prices which threatens the industry’s sustainability.

They said there has not been a general service pricing framework upward in the past 11 years, attributing the non-increment to regulatory constraints despite the adverse economic hardship.

“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,” they said in the statement.

“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.

“Government needs to facilitate a constructive dialogue with industry stakeholders to address pricing challenges and establish a framework that balances consumers’ affordability with operators’ financial viability.”

Meanwhile, the telecommunication companies also expressed worries on the worsening security challenges affecting the productivity of the services provided.

They urged the federal government to come up with measures to tackle insecurity.