Jonathan Nwokpor
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Nigerian telecom customers have strongly opposed a proposed 40% increase in service fees, which is anticipated to begin in 2025.
This was announced by the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, NATCOMS, National Exco in a statement issued on Tuesday by the organization’s national president, Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, and secretary, Barr. Bayo Omotubora.
The customers’ position coincides with rumours that a 2025 increase in telecom service fees is anticipated.
In response, NATCOMS stated that any proposal to increase telecom service rates would be extremely inconsiderate given the present financial difficulties that Nigerians are facing.
In order to combat growing operator costs, the group advised telecom carriers to look for a different solution rather than raising tariffs.
“The National Exco of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) held an emergency meeting on the 31st of December, 2024, on the planned tariff hike of telecommunication services. A unanimous resolution arising therefrom is our total objection to the planned tariff hike.
“The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as recently published in both the print and electronic media, gave an approval to the Telecommunication Service Operators to hike their tariffs, and the approved increment would see the current tariffs rise by about 40 percent.
“This Association considers the decision of the NCC as very insensitive and not in the interest of Telecoms Services Consumers.
“The unrelenting rise in prices of goods and services in the country has made life extremely difficult for the generality of citizens who are the consumers of telecom services. The new increment is, therefore, one additional burden too many.
Under the new tariffs regime, a voice call will rise from N11.00 to N15.40 per minute. Short message services will jump from N4.00 to N5.60 and
“One GB data bundle will move from N1,000 to N1,400. This represents additional digital costs consumers will have to square up with at the beginning of a new year, among other harsh economic realities of Nigeria today. This, undoubtedly, is against public interest, contrary to the false narrative of NCC that described the recent adjustments as pro public interest.
“This Association sees the increment as an official policy to price telecom services out of the reach of the generality of the citizens of this country.
“The cumulative effect of the pending suit and the public outcry prompted the federal government to suspend the implementation of the excise duty charge, but the charge is now part of the controversial tax reform bills now pending before the National Assembly.
“The implication of the foregoing is this: The new increment will now make telecommunication services more expensive by 40% in the New Year, and if the controversial tax bills sail through, telecommunication services will now attract a 12.5% tax rate, and by then two-thirds of telecom services subscribers would have been priced out of the telecom services market. This is a complete negation of the statutory duty of NCC to protect the interest of Telecom Services Consumers.
“We are aware of the arguments of the telecom operators that there has not been any tariff increment in a decade, multiple levies slammed on them by different levels/tiers of government, and the dollarization of the costs of their equipment. But if the truth be told, there are many other avenues through which the operators can generate funds to meet their rising operational costs without putting an unbearable burden on their consumers.
“The Nigerian Stock Exchange Market, for instance, is a veritable avenue for the operators to raise funds to meet their costs requirements. The operators should bring part of the ownership of their companies to their subscribers through public offers,” it said.
In a statement released on Sunday by its chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, telecom operators operating under the auspices of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) called for an immediate review of cellular pricing in order to prevent the industry from shutting down.
Official NCC sources, meanwhile, refuted reports that the commission had authorised a new telecom pricing increase starting in 2025.
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