Telecom tariffs to increase, but not by 100% – Minister

Nigerians should expect an increase in telecom tariffs soon, but it won’t be as high as the 100 percent hike proposed by telecom operators.

Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, announced this after a stakeholders’ meeting with mobile network operators in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to Tijani, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will soon approve the new tariffs, which will be made public.

The minister emphasized that the government aims to strike a balance between protecting consumers and ensuring that telecom companies can continue to invest in the sector.

Tijani also noted that the federal government will no longer rely solely on private companies to invest in telecom infrastructure.

Instead, the government will work to ensure that investments benefit all Nigerians, not just those in areas with immediate returns.

The minister said: “You have seen over the past weeks that there has been agitation from some of these companies to increase tariff. They are requesting for 100 per cent tariff increase.

“But it will not be by 100 per cent. We are still looking at that study and NCC will come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it.

“We want to strike the balance as a government to protect our people, but also protect and ensure that these companies can continue to invest significantly.

“We need to ensure that as a sector, we get our acts together, ensure that from the regulation side, we put the right regulations in place that can ensure the growth of this sector.”

The Executive Vice-Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, also said the proposed 100 percent tariff increase is unlikely to be approved.

Maida added that the NCC has implemented measures to ensure transparency and compliance with service quality regulations.

“We have looked at all of these factors, and that is why, like the Minister said, it is not likely that we are going to approve 100 per cent tariff increase.

“I know that Nigerians are agitated to hear the exact percentage approved. There is still some stakeholder engagements that we are going through, but you will hear from us within a week or two,” he said.

Reacting to the proposed tariff increase, the CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, emphasized the need for tariff increments to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector and unlock benefits for Nigerian consumers.