The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has made the vital decision to allow telecom companies to increase their tariffs for the first time in more than 12 years. It was a brave decision that should be recognised and commended.
All the customers of our member operators are understandably disappointed that they will have to pay more to stay connected. We recognise that. We know that Nigerians have been through a series of even more substantial price increases in other sectors like fuel and power.
That is why it is so important for us to set out why the tariffs need to go up, how the revenue from the price increases will be used, and how long it is going to take us to deliver the improvements that our customers will be able to see and appreciate.
The telecom sector is capital-intensive. It requires constant investment to maintain the infrastructure that we use to deliver connectivity, ensuring that we can deliver the quality of service that our customers demand and continue to upgrade to the latest technologies like 5G.
In 2024, the telecoms sector faced a perfect storm. The need for our member operators to continue to invest in their infrastructure remained, but the cost of operating their networks increased significantly. In isolation, that might have been manageable, but it followed 12 years of progressively increasing costs during which they could not increase prices.
Despite that, the telecoms industry has continued to grow. We have been able to expand voice connectivity, introduce world-class data services, and diversify into value-added services like payments and platforms. But at some point, something has to change if we want to have the digital economy we all know Nigeria deserves.
While we have continued to invest, we were not able to do so at the speed and scale that we would have liked to ensure we deliver service quality at the levels we want or to roll out the products we want our consumers to have access to. In 2024, the significant losses across the industry meant that investment slowed considerably to a level that would be simply unsustainable for Nigeria going forward.
The process of securing the price increases was a long and deliberate one, under the strong leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the NCC, and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani. It was a process that sought to find the right balance that unlocks investment while minimising the impact on consumers. Our collective goal has been to enable the investment needed to give Nigerians the best service while continuing to do so at a price that is as competitive as possible from a global perspective.
The 50 percent increase is a reflection of this, and it is important to assess how this compares to our regional contemporaries. Following the increase, the cost of 1GB of data in Nigeria will remain lower than it currently costs in Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Africa and will be just 9.5 percent of the cost of 1GB in the USA. Nigeria will continue to have low-cost connectivity that enables the broadest possible access.
Following the decision, all our member operators will now be able to activate investment plans that will drive improved quality of service, new technologies, and expanded reach. But the impact of this will not be felt immediately. It is not something we can just switch on. We cannot address a protracted period of under-investment overnight. The supply chain for the telecom industry is global and competitive. The hardware required must be fabricated by the original equipment manufacturers, shipped to Nigeria, cleared, and installed, and this needs to happen at a large scale.
Following the tariff increase, the acquisition, importation, and installation of the equipment can now begin. All our member operators have planned for this moment. We know what to do.
The journey to improved service delivery, more advanced technical solutions, and a better customer experience has started. The progress Nigeria has made in the growth and development of the digital economy can, and will continue to, and the potential to drive social and economic transformation is incredible. We believe in that vision, and the government does too. They have recognised its strategic importance and demonstrated the leadership required to put us on the path to progress.
All hands are now on deck!
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo is the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).
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