The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has asked telecommunication and internet service operators to pause their plan to hike prices. NCC’s chairman Professor Umar Danbatta stated this in Lagos on Thursday. The providers have complained about the rising cost of diesel, which has heightened their production cost.
Instead of increasing prices for their services, Danbatta urged the operators to embrace alternative power sources.
“MNOs and ISPs have been urged to look for alternative sources of energy for now so that services can remain afloat.
“They need to come up with new business cases. You cannot rely on the same business case and expect a different result. We need to be innovative, collaborative, engage each other and find how we can solve the challenges before us so that the growth of the sector is not stalled.
“I am for alternative energy supply so that we can ensure that the sector remains vibrant and continues to provide services for Nigerians at affordable cost,” he said
Danbatta said that all sectors of the Nigerian economy are affected by the rising diesel cost. “We must find alternatives to stay afloat as an industry,” he said.
He stressed that consultations among industry stakeholders and the conduct of cost based studies should precede any decision to increase tariff.
“Before you can force new tariffs on citizens, you must subject the matter to a stakeholder meeting because consumers must have a say in the matter.”
