Nigerians to spend more on airtime, as network providers consider raising tariffs

Telecommunications companies are mulling increasing tariffs amid rising cost of diesel and worsening insecurity across their operational locations within Nigeria.

The network providers under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said the cost of doing business in Nigeria is negative impacting their financials.

ALTON, led by the chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said they were concerned the high cost, and the current realities could push the telecoms to review the tariffs upward.

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Raising tariffs would increase the financial burden of customers using MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile, as consumption of airtime would make Nigerians spend more on airtime in return for less value.

The insecurity in the country is also hindering their operation, as it prevents the telecommunications firms from dispatching its personnel to service station, The Cable reported on Friday.

In his words, Adebayo explained, “We will continue to provide services but we are concerned about the high costs. Without government intervention, we may consider increasing tariffs to reflect current realities.”

He said the price review will commence after following regulatory procedures, “We can’t just wake up and increase prices. There are regulatory procedures that we need to follow to review prices. We may consider following those steps to commence the process of price review.”

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