Data Price Hike: NCC, Telecom Companies Address Senate

Regulatory agency, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), is engaging with telecommunication companies to determine a data pricing system which would benefit customers and operators.

This assurance is coming after a public outcry that greeted announcements from telecom operators that effective from December 1 this year, consumers would begin to pay more for data.

However, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Mr Umar Danbatta, says the agency did not at any time instruct telecommunication companies in Nigeria to hike data price.

Mr Danbatta gave the NCC’s position while addressing members of the Senate Committee on Communications on Tuesday.

Top on their list of  issues to discuss was the recent public outcry that greeted the canceled plan to hike the price of data for consumers.

He, however, told the Senators that the commission was trying to protect Nigerians from an unhealthy price war between telecom operators.

Contributing, the Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat, Matthew willsher, told the lawmakers that the company was willing to comply with the position of the NCC, but the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Ferdinand Moolman, asked for a proper cost and price analysis which should factor the current inflation in the country as well as the devaluation of the Naira.

Mr Moolman said: “All of us aware that inflation is going up to 17 to 18 per cent, we have experienced price increase in all other sectors yet we have seen price drop in the telecoms sector in the last two or three years and you have heard this said by a number of speakers”.

Responding to the statements by the telecommunication companies, the NCC Executive Vice Chairman said the Commission would continue to engage with the operators and would do a scientific study to determine the correct pricing for data.

He concludes that the commission is looking at a new price which would benefit both customers and telecom operators, but the telecom operators are asking that this scientific study for proper pricing should be done as quickly as possible so as not to leave operators in limbo.