Utweets
NIGERIANS ARE HAPPY WITH TINUBU| JUST A YEAR PLUS IN OFFICE, TINUBU HAS DONE WHAT NO OTHER PRESIDENT HAS NEVER DONE BEFORE IN OFFICE. SEE FULL LIST OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS HERE.TELECOMMUNICATIONS operators have threatened to shut down services in some parts of the country should the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) refuse to consider their demand for tariff review. ...Tap To Read The Full Story Here | ..Tap To Read The Full Story Here...
The operators issued the warning in a statement signed by the chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, on Monday, December 30.
The operators are demanding a tariff review to reflect the Nigerian economic realities and enable telcos to deliver optimal services.
“If nothing is done, we might begin to see in the new year grim consequences unfolding, such as service shedding; operators may not be able to provide services in some areas and at some times of the day leaving millions disconnected. There will be significant economic fallout because businesses will suffer from a lack of connectivity, stalling growth and innovation.
“There will also be national economic disruption where key sectors like security, commerce, healthcare, and education which rely heavily on telecom infrastructure, will face serious disruptions,” Adebayo said.
He stressed that the operators could not continue to guarantee service availability without the tariff review.
He explained that even though the challenges faced by the telcos were not new, they had become more acute and more threatening as the year passed.NIGERIANS ARE HAPPY WITH TINUBU| JUST A YEAR PLUS IN OFFICE, TINUBU HAS DONE WHAT NO OTHER PRESIDENT HAS NEVER DONE BEFORE IN OFFICE. SEE FULL LIST OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS HERE.
Adebayo argued that rising operational costs, skyrocketing energy costs, inflationary pressure, and volatile exchange rates, amongst others, had placed an unsustainable burden on network operators.
He said despite these mounting pressures, tariffs had remained stagnant, leaving operators trapped in a financial quagmire.
He said the resources needed to maintain, expand, and modernise the operators’ networks were no longer available, adding that without intervention, the future of the sector could be at grave risk.
“However, let me be clear: our work is far from over. It is not enough to have kept the sector afloat; we must now focus on securing its future.
“The sustainability challenges we face today are not just a passing storm – they are a clarion call for decisive action to ensure that this industry thrives for generations to come,” he said.
He added that despite the ‘dire’ warnings, the operators still believed that a better 2025 was possible only if the NCC took necessary action.
“Let this be the moment when we come together, acknowledge the urgency of the situation, and commit to saving this sector,” he said.
The ICIR reports that telco companies have since last year been clamouring for an increase in tariffs and that the demand is coming after 11 years of stability in tariffs.
In January this year, the telecommunications companies sought the Federal Government’s nod to increase telecom tariffs.
In April and May, the operators also renewed the call for an upward tariff review which they claimed would help offset the soaring costs of operation and investment in the sector.NIGERIANS ARE HAPPY WITH TINUBU| JUST A YEAR PLUS IN OFFICE, TINUBU HAS DONE WHAT NO OTHER PRESIDENT HAS NEVER DONE BEFORE IN OFFICE. SEE FULL LIST OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS HERE.
In an analysis of the sector, The ICIR reported how MTN Nigeria Communications widened losses in its operation due to the concentration of funds outside its core business operations, indicating that the telecommunications giant was in financial distress...Tap To Read The Full Story Here.
