The Executive Vice Chairman/ CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, has stated that the recent tariff hike by telecom service providers has created massive investment opportunities for the Nigerian telecoms sector.
The NCC boss stated this during an interactive session with the media on Tuesday in Abuja. Although specific figures are yet to be ascertained, the “tariff increase, amongst other measures and policies from the government, has unlocked investments to the tune that has significantly exceeded what we have seen in the past couple of years.”
Recall that the NCC approved a 50% tariff increase for telecom operators in the country in January after it said it had considered ongoing industry reforms that would positively influence sustainability.
The regulator said the increase was by its power under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 (NCA) to regulate and approve tariff rates and charges by telecommunications operators.
“These adjustments will remain within the tariff bands stipulated in the 2013 NCC Cost Study, and requests will be reviewed case-by-case, as is the Commission’s standard practice for tariff reviews. It will be implemented in strict adherence to the recently issued NCC Guidance on Tariff Simplification, 2024,” the commission had said.
He noted that a telecom policy review would strengthen the sector, get Nigerians more connected to affordable and high-speed internet, and use emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, Remote Sensing, and Artificial Intelligence, among others, to grow new businesses.
“We are evolving with a new policy to ensure that we have a robust internet, both in terms of infrastructure, to ensure that we have a reliable, affordable, and high-speed internet”, he added.
Mrs Freda Bruce-Benneth, Director of the Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, disclosed that Nigeria has 172 million registered subscribers, 141 million internet consumers, and 105 broadband subscribers. She also advised Nigerians on the steps to take to preserve their data.
