NCC okays 50% tariff hike for telecom operators

Story by Dajen Comfort Yakubu

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved a 50% tariff adjustment for telecom operators, citing rising operational costs and the need to sustain the industry.

The approval, announced in a statement on Monday, is significantly lower than the over 100% increase requested by some network providers.

According to the NCC, the adjustment aligns with its mandate under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, to regulate and approve tariff rates.

READ ALSO: FG: Telecom companies to raise tariffs, but not by 100%

“The adjustment, capped at a maximum of 50 percent of current tariffs, though lower than the over 100 percent requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability,” the NCC said in a statement.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, had earlier hinted that the government would not approve a 100% tariff increase, citing the need to balance consumer protection with industry sustainability.

“We’ve already made it clear we are not going to approve a 100 per cent. These companies are asking for 100 per cent stating clearly that this is what they believe they need to get,” Tijani said.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has authorized telecommunications companies to disconnect the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes assigned to nine financial institutions.

The affected banks have failed to comply with regulatory directives to settle outstanding invoices due to mobile network operators (MNOs).

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