Simplify Tariff, Promo Plans, NCC Orders Telecos

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has asked telecommunication companies (Telcos) to simplify their tariff plans, bundles, and promotional activities.

The regulator wants the telcos to unbundle promos from normal tariff plans to improve transparency with tariff plans.

According to the NCC, the move aims to provide subscribers with clear, easy-to-understand, and accurate information about the cost of voice, short messaging service (SMS), and data services.

This was contained in the directive titled, “Guidance on the Simplification of Tariffs in the Nigerian Communications Sector”.

The regulator said, “All promotional elements are to be removed from tariff plans and offered as standalone promotions, subject to the Commission’s prior approval, time limits, QoS/capacity requirements, adherence to full disclosure requirements, and in accordance with set conditions.”

It also mandated Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to publish a comprehensive table showing the features of their tariff plans and bundle offers.

Commenting on the reason for the directive, the commission explained that it was “to reduce the complexity of tariff plans and bundles, ensure transparency and fairness of promotional elements of tariff plans, protect consumers’ interests by providing clear and understandable tariff information so that they make informed decisions, and promote fair competition among licensees by standardising tariff structures.”
The regulator further noted that telcos can still maintain existing bonus-led tariff plans until 31 December 2024. During that period, they are expected to educate and migrate all subscribers to the simplified tariff plans.

Service providers were also required to display all relevant information about their tariffs, such as the plan name, price, validity period, price-per-second for on—or off-network and international calls, expected data speeds, and fair usage policies.

The guidelines further directed MNOs to communicate tariffs to subscribers in “clear language and a user-friendly format,” with full disclosure of a subscriber’s tariff plan via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

The NCC added, “Operators must offer stand-alone data bundles at fair prices to avoid tying consumers with products they do not need; bonuses on promotions must be stated in actual value; access fees and asymmetric fee structures must be eliminated,” among other conditions.

The commission emphasised that operators must comply with these guidelines and meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) standards set out in its Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations while also meeting the KPIs.