The present telecom rate structure, according to the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), is unsustainable as of this Thursday.
This was revealed in a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos between Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), and Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of ALTON.
In addition to pointing out that operators are hit with 52 different levies nationwide, he stated that price reviews must to take increased operational costs into account.
“Our current pricing regime is no longer sustainable. That is the fact, with the way things are going, I am not sure we can sustain this sector with the current pricing regime,” he said.
The Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) debts owing by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to the EVC, which he stated have already reached N200 billion, were another area he encouraged the EVC to get involved in. He emphasized that the organization would not think twice about preventing debtor banks from using the service, but that the entire amount must be paid.
He told the NCC EVC that industry stakeholders support him and that it’s crucial to set a deadline for any decisions made at the conference.
As part of efforts to raise service quality, Mr. Anthony Emoekpere, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), stated that bridging the nation’s telecom infrastructure is necessary.
While assuring the stakeholders of his support and dedication to the sector’s growth, the head of the NCC stated that his actions would be guided by President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Agenda and the policy guidelines outlined by Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
He reminded the operators that the government views the telecommunications industry as vital to the nation’s economy and called on them to raise employment levels and enhance service quality.
