Telecom tariffs increase will not be by 100%, says minister

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani says telecom tariffs will soon increase but not by 100 per cent.

Rising from a stakeholder meeting with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) on Wednesday in Abuja, Tijani said that consultations and engagements were ongoing on the issue.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the MNOs are proposing a 100 per cent increase in tariffs.

According to the minister, very soon the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will approve and make the new tariffs public to Nigerians.

“You have seen over the past weeks that there has been agitation from some of these companies to increase tariffs They are requesting for 100 per cent tariff increase.

“But it will not be by 100 per cent; the NCC will soon come up with a clear directive on how we will go about it.

“We want to strike the balance as a government, to protect our people, but also protect and ensure that these companies can continue to invest significantly,” he said.

He said that there was a need to ensure that the telecommunication sector get its acts together to ensure that the right regulations are put in place to ensure the growth of this sector.

The Minister also said that the Federal Government would no longer leave investments in infrastructure in the sector to private companies alone.