Outrage over MTN’s data price hike

MTN Nigeria has raised the price of its weekly 15GB data plan to N6,000 from N2,000 to the outcry of many Nigerians. This increment is part of a recently approved 50 percent hike in the price of telecom services.

Many MTN Nigeria subscribers have taken to X to express their frustrations. “Nigeria is a very difficult place to live in, honestly. MTN waking up one day to increase their weekly 15 GB data from 2k to 6k without prior warning is textbook insanity. That’s 24k in a month, almost the minimum wage of the country on data, bruh, this is hell,” tweeted @TheSilvapr.

“MTN increasing the cost of its 15 GB data subscription from 2k to 6k is a significant price hike, and it reflects the true economic and business realities rather than just a random decision. Complaining Won’t Change Anything because Telecom operators have to operate within a profit-driven system,” wrote @official_GZU.

Aside from the 15GB tariff plan increase, the telco has also raised the cost of other plans. The revised price increase now includes a 1.8GB monthly plan for N1,500, replacing the previous 1.5GB plan priced at N1,000.

Read also: Phone calls to cost N16.5/min as NCC hikes rate by 50%

Its 20GB plan has been adjusted to N7,500, up from N5,500, while the 15GB plan now costs N6,500, up from N4,500. Its 90-day 1.5TB plan has jumped from N150,000 to N240,000, and the 600GB 90-day plan increased from N75,000 to N120,000. Its two/three-month data plan of 100GN for N20,000 is now 90GB for N25,000; 160GB for N30,000 is now 150GB for N40,000.

For now, Airtel and Globacom are yet to review their prices. However, all telcos are expected to follow MTN’s lead after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved a 50 percent increase in the cost of calls, data, and SMS on January 20 for the first time in a decade.

The hike is meant to support “the ability of operators to continue investing in infrastructure and innovation, ultimately benefiting consumers through improved services and connectivity, including better network quality, enhanced customer service, and greater coverage.”

However, telcos could not immediately increase prices as they were waiting for regulatory approval from the NCC. “We don’t have the price increase in our hands because, even though it has been announced and based on Section 108, every single product that you want to increase its price has to go to the NCC, be iterated, and approved,” one expert explained.

At an industry gathering on January 25, Gbenga Adebayo, the chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), noted that phased increment would begin soon.

“We are now following what is called the regulatory requirement, regulatory steps of filing, reviewing, and obtaining approvals. As soon as those approvals come through, different players will introduce new rates as the time comes. I’ll say over next week, we start seeing some improvement in the prices,” he stated.