Subscribers
of the Global System of Mobile telecommunications across the country would pay
more for data with effect from December 1, 2016, it was learnt on Monday.
Although
the telecoms companies declined to speak on the matter, top management workers
across the networks confirmed the story to our correspondent, saying that the
directive was from the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Speaking
on the condition of anonymity, a senior management employee of Etisalat Nigeria
said, “The NCC issued the directive late last week on the orders of the Federal
Government. We have not announced it yet because most of the major telcos have
been meeting the NCC on how to reverse this policy, because it will be too
harsh for Nigerians.
“However,
we further gathered that the Federal Government took the decision having
discovered that data rates are very low-priced in Nigeria, compared to other
countries, including nearby African countries.
“The
government might have also taken the decision given that Nigerian subscribers
have been kicking against the proposed nine per cent Communication Tax, whose
bill is currently in the National Assembly.”
Pleading
not to be mentioned, an employee of MTN said, “What this means is that MTN,
Airtel, Etisalat And Globacom will increase their data rates as from December
1, 2016. A data plan of N1,000 for 1.5 Gigabytes will now be increased to
N3,000 at N1,000 per 500 Megabytes.”
In
text messages sent out to its subscribers, MTN, Africa’s mobile
telecommunications giant, confirmed that it had agreed to implement the
directive of the NCC.
The
MTN text read, “Dear customer, please be informed that from 1st of December,
some MTN data tariffs will be increased to reflect the new rates set by the NCC
for operators. Thank you.”
An
official response from the NCC could not be obtained as at of the time of
filing this report.
However,
a representative of the commission said that the telecoms regulator was unaware
of such plans by the operators, even as she said her bosses had claimed
ignorance of the circulated message.
“We
are unaware of it. I just asked my bosses; they are unaware. We will forward
your query to MTN for appropriate attention,” she said over the telephone.
However,
in a letter by the NCC to the operators sighted by our correspondent, the
commission stated, “This rate will subsist pending the finalisation of the
study on the determination of cost-based pricing for retail broadband and data
services in Nigeria.
“In
order to provide a level playing field for all operators in the industry, small
operators and new entrants to acquire market share and operate profitably,
small operators and new entrants are hereby exempted from the price floor for
data services.”
It
added, “For the avoidance of doubt a small operator is one that has less than
7.5 per cent market share and a new entrant is an operator that has operated
less than three years in the market.
“All
operators are to ensure that subscribers are not automatically migrated to
pay-as-you-go platform.
“Also,
note that effective date for the interim price floor is December 1, 2016.”
Reacting
to the development, the President, National Association of Telecommunications
Subscribers, Mr. Adeolu Ogunbanjo, said that the NCC representative was being
economical with the truth.
He
said that for MTN to have sent out millions of text messages to its subscribers
“clearly shows that the NCC indeed issued the directive.”
Ogunbanjo,
however, said that the association would resist the tariff hike, adding, “We
will challenge it in court. We are going right away to set the machinery in
motion. We are also going to do an urgent letter to the NCC Executive Vice
Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, which we will drop in his e-mail box.
“Unfortunately,
the notice is short; today is November 28, yet the order will take effect from
December 1. It is not just good for broadband penetration, whatever the reason
may be. It is against telecoms subscribers.”
According
to him, data availability means more youth engagement because they use data to
develop apps and build software.
“But
with what the NCC has done, these boys who develop apps will be slowed down and
limited. The cost of doing business will also increase,” he added.
Source:Punch
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Business