Telecommunication operators in Nigeria have suggested an increment in call and data rates going forward.
The operators under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), made the suggestion on Monday.
They also demanded the institution of an interim adjustment of the telecom industry’s floor price for voice and data services.
The operators cited the increasing cost of business operations and the harsh economic realities as reasons for their demands, which come ahead of the conclusion of a cost study by stakeholders in the industry.
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ALTON has requested that the new Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani issue policy guidance to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence implementation of targeted interventions starting with an upward review of voice call rates, among others.
They also urged the Tijani to address teething investment-impacting causal factors to help deepen investment with the overall objective of driving increased CAPEX deployment for improved Quality of Service (QoS), in line with the targets of the Strategic Plan to achieve 50% improvement in QoS by the end of 2024.
The telecoms operators averred that the cost of doing business in Nigeria had risen sharply in recent months due to macroeconomic headwinds such as inflation, currency devaluation, difficulty in accessing forex at an affordable rate, rising energy costs, rising cost of securing telecommunications facilities and field personnel in the face of worsening insecurity, among others.
ALTON chairman, Engr Gbenga Adebayo decried the above strong macroeconomic headwinds which have occasioned tough operating conditions, leading to a decline in CAPEX (Domestic) and Foreign Direct (Capital Inflow) investments into the industry by 30.37% and 46.9% respectively between 2021 and 2022.
