Abuja, Oct. 21, 2024 – The National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) has appealed to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to approve a 10% tariff hike for operators.
The group said the tariff hike would assist the operators to meet the rising operational costs.
Adeolu Ogunbanjo, its National President, made the appeal in a statement on Monday.
Operators in the sector have been making the request in the last few months so as to enable them to meet increasing costs of operations.
Ogunbanjo said operators were facing unsustainable financial burden due to rising fuel costs and other essentials required to maintain their network infrastructure.
“The quality of telecom services is suffering, and operators are struggling under the weight of soaring operational costs.
“This tariff increase, although it may seem significant, is necessary for the long-term sustainability of the sector,” he said.
He said the operators had not increased their charges in over a decade in spite of the steep rise in their operational expenses,
“They haven’t increased their charges in 11 years, yet the cost of doing business has skyrocketed.
“We need to acknowledge this reality to ensure service does not degrade further,” Ogunbanjo noted.
It will be recalled that the operators had in August threatened to stop their services due to risings operational costs. (GBN)
