The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has backtracked on its earlier announced plan to raise tariffs on data services provided by mobile network operators. The NCC now says it will hold consultations with stakeholders to determine what the best plan is for data service provision in the country.
The decision to put off the implementation of a price ceiling for data was communicated via a statement signed by the NCC’s Director of Public affairs, Tony Ojobo. The regulatory agency said that it was putting off the implementation of the tariff due to complaints it had received from consumers.
However, the NCC claimed in the statement that its tariff plan had been mistaken for a price hike. According to it, the tariff was in fact designed to provide a level playing field for data service providers to operate. It suggested that smaller service providers and new entrants would benefit from the plan- perhaps a reference to larger telecoms operators using their size and market advantage to reduce costs below levels considered sufficient to sustain the survival of smaller operators in the market for data services.
The commission had written to mobile network operators in a message dated 1st November 2016, informing them of the need to determine an interim price floor for data services. The latest move by the NCC means that the new tariff will not come into effect for a while yet.