See what ALTON has to say as reports claim MTN, Glo, other telcos are set to increase tarrif

• There are reports that the NCC has given permission to MTN, GLO, and other telecom companies to increase tariffs
• The new tariffs are said to have affected voice calls, data, and SMS across the telecom industry in Nigeria
• Legit.ng spoke to ALTON Chairman Gbenga Adebayo about the new directive to increase tariffs, and he provided clarification

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has debunked reports that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved tariff increases for telecom and internet companies.

No approval yet to increase tarrif Photo credit: Bloomberg/contributor
Source: Getty Images

Reports claim that the NCC's new tariff took effect on July 29, 2024, and will mean Nigerians will pay more to make calls and browse the internet.

The report added that NCC orders that “every subscriber must be on a tariff plan, and no subscriber can be on more than one tariff plan at a time.”

The rule also provides stricter rules for tariff plans, add-ons, bundles, bonuses, promotions, top-ups, and other services that give subscribers access to voice, data, SMS, and other services delivered by telcos in Nigeria.

The rule stipulates a tariff plan as a structured pricing scheme that shows the charges and conditions for which telecom services are provided to subscribers.

ALTON gives clarification

Reacting to the report of the new tariff, Adebayo told Legit.ng that the circulated reports of new tariff approval are untrue.

He said:

NCC limits data bundle to 7

Meanwhile, Cable reports that NCC has limited the number of tariffs each mobile network operator can offer is limited to seven, adding that the number of bundles offered per operator is now restricted to 100.

Internet outage hits states amid hunger protests

Legit.ng previously reported that amid the nationwide hunger protest, Nigerians have been hit with massive internet outages spanning major networks.

Subscribers of many telecommunication firms lament their inability to access many websites, especially social networks such as X and Facebook.

Many Nigerians suspect the authorities may have deliberately slowed down the Internet to stop the organizers from mobilizing via social networks.

Source: Legit.ng