A price adjustment for telecom companies such as MTN, Airtel, and others has been approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in an effort to address the growing costs of keeping us all connected. Accordingly, the price of SMS, data, and phone services may shortly increase.
Why has the price increased? Inflation, volatile foreign exchange rates, and rising network maintenance expenses (think diesel prices and infrastructure upgrades) are all driving telecom operators to feel the pinch. For example, 1GB of data, which is presently priced at N350, might increase to N525. The typical call rate of N11 per minute may increase to N16.50, and the SMS charge may increase from N4 to N6 per message.
Telecom operators must make this change in order to maintain high-quality services, the NCC has underlined. These operators have been required, nevertheless, to carry out the modifications in a transparent manner and guarantee that clients noticeably enhance their experience.
What does this imply to you, then? Maybe it’s time to reconsider how much bandwidth you use—turn off those videos that download automatically or limit how much you scroll! On the plus side, the NCC tells us they’re closely monitoring the situation to avoid any undue price increases.
Even though this news could be difficult to accept, the main goal is to maintain the industry’s long-term sustainability. As we make adjustments, hopefully the better services will justify the additional naira. After all, maintaining a connection is now essential rather than optional.
