Telecom Operators Demand Urgent Review Of Service Tariffs

To reflect the economic realities of delivering telecom services for industry sustainability, Telecom operators have demanded an urgent review of service tariffs.

The operators opined that quality service and its availability could not be guaranteed and the economy would suffer for it without a tariff review.

Engr Gbenga Adebayo, the chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), spoke on behalf of the operating companies at an end of the year event of the industry stakeholders in Lagos on Sunday.

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According to Adebayo, the sector was under siege and tariffs must be reviewed urgently to avoid collapse.

The ALTON chairman said the sector needed greater urgency for its survival and if immediate and decisive action was not taken, the hope for a better 2025 would be in ruins.

He explained that it is not a time for further deliberation or delayed decisions, stressing that the survival of the telecom sector demands immediate and bold reform for its sustainability.

Adebayo said, “As we reflect on the ending of the year 2024, there is a need to issue an urgent and critical call to action for the future of our telecommunications industry.”

He stated that the rising operational costs, skyrocketing energy cost, the relentless pressure of inflation, volatile exchange rates, among others have all placed an unsustainable burden on network operators.

Adebayo observed that despite the mounting pressures, tariffs had remained stagnant, leaving operators trapped in a financial quagmire.

He stressed that the resources needed to maintain, expand, and modernise networks were simply no longer available and without intervention, the future of the sector was at grave risk.