Telephone Call Prices To Hike From N6.4 to N8.95, Here’s Why!

By Tolulope Oke 

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecom operators in Nigeria have called for a hike in telephone call prices from N6.6 to N8.95.

The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, explained that the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria recently sent a letter to the NCC outlining the difficult working conditions operators were experiencing and the need to raise service pricing by 40%.

They assert that it is time to raise the SMS pricing ceiling from N4 to N5.61 and the call price floor from N6.4 to N8.95.

Part of the letter reads: “In view of the foregoing, ALTON considers it expedient for the telecommunications sector to undergo periodic cost adjustments through the commission’s intervention in order to minimise the impact of the challenging economic issues faced by our members.”

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Danbatta noted that the NCC is aware of the detrimental effects that high diesel prices and an absence of availability of foreign currency have on telecom service providers, thus an understanding of why they want it increased.

However, he insisted that it is not possible to carry out that action in a manner that is inconsistent with the ACT. Danbatta explained that In order to determine if a rise in the cost of services from a certain segment is necessary or not, they increase prices scientifically.

To do this, they employ the services of experts who specialize in cost-based studies to examine each and every sectoral section.