The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said the telcos will start charging the new tariffs soonAdebayo said the operators are perfecting regulatory filing and preparing individually to roll out the tariffHe stated that the new tariff will commence in March after the telcos have finalised the necessary steps for implementation
Henzodaily.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) says telecom operators will begin charging the new 50% tariffs in March.
Henzodaily.ng previously reported that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved a 50% tariff hike for the telcos on January 20, 2025, after a decade.
ALTON sets a date to commence tariff hike as banks complete USSD debt repayment.
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Telcos getting approvals for implementation
Three days after the approval, Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance, disclosed that the tariff hike in the telecom sector would be reviewed periodically.
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50% tariff hike: GSMA forecasts 2% increase in telecoms’ contribution to Nigeria’s GDP by 2028
However, Gbenga Adebayo, chairman of ALTON, disclosed in a recent forum that the telcos will issue their tariffs differently and are currently filing, reviewing, and getting approvals from the NCC.
He stated that the telcos follow regulatory requirements and steps for filling out and getting the necessary approvals.
He said as soon as the approval comes through, different operators will introduce new rates as the time comes.
He said the prices would improve, and the new rate would be rolled out over the next month.
According to the ALTON boss, the tariff adjustment is important for the survival of the telecom industry, saying that the government should not rely on the industry to subsidise others.
USSD debts by banks getting resolved
He said that it is essential that the players need to charge sustainable rates and that the sector cannot subsidise others.
Adebayo disclosed that there has been progress in repaying the N250 billion USSD debt owed by banks as the parties are nearing final resolution on the issue.
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Telecom operators provide fresh update on banks’ USSD debt payments
Also, the tension in the sector has reduced and concerns have declined as the industry moves closer to final resolution.
The NCC directed telecommunication companies to disconnect nine banks for failing to pay their USSD debt.
GSMA predicts a 2% increase in telcos’ contribution to Nigeria’s GDP
Henzodaily.ng earlier reported the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has projected a 2% increase in the telecommunications sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2028, following the government’s approval of a 50% tariff increase in telecom services.
GSMA disclosed this during the presentation of its Digital Economy Report 2024 to the media over the weekend.
At the media briefing, GSMA executives, Angela Wamola, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa, and Caroline Mbugua, Senior Director of Public Policy & Communications for Sub-Saharan Africa, also addressed the potential impact of the 50% tariff hike on the sector, consumers, and the broader economy.
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Source: Henzodaily.ng