Due to Airtel Nigeria’s price structure revisions, which resulted in rate increases of up to 50%, Nigerians would now have to pay more for calls and data. After receiving approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecom behemoth announced the price increase, claiming increased operating expenses as the cause.
Monthly data subscriptions are now much more expensive under the new plan. The well-liked ₦1,000 package, for example, which used to provide 1.2GB, now costs ₦1,500 for 2GB. Likewise, the 6GB package that was previously available for ₦2,500 will now cost ₦4,000 for 10GB.
Rates for voice calls have also changed; they are now 25 kobo per second instead of 18 kobo per second. In light of inflation, fluctuating foreign exchange rates, and high operational costs, Airtel clarified that the pricing revision was required to maintain the quality of its services.
However, there have been a lot of reactions to the pricing hike, with many Nigerians complaining about the growing expense of living. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticized the raise as “insensitive” and threatened to stage a statewide demonstration if the ruling is not overturned.
Industry analysts predict that other telecom companies, such as Glo, may soon adopt the new tariffs, even though Airtel was not the first significant operator to do so. In order to adapt to the new pricing, users are being urged to assess their data and call usage.
