Minister orders cut of data rate

•NCC, operators get deadline

Blessing Olaifa, Abuja



PRICE of mobile data services must go down, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, said on Tuesday.

He directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to work in concert with telecom operators within one week to achieve the reduction plan.

The minister, who spoke in his office, said he had been inundated with complaints by Nigerians who pay so much for data that hardly lasts.
The NCC team to his office was led by its Board Chairman Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye.

The Minister spoke in Abuja after NCC’s new Executive Commissioner (Stakeholders Management), Adeleke Adewolu was sworn in.
He said: “I am urging the management of NCC to work towards reducing the price of data in Nigeria. It is too costly and people are complaining every day.

“If you go to other countries, even countries that are not as largely populated as Nigeria, data prices are not this high. I am also a victim of some of the infractions that are so common in the industry.

“You load your data, but you barely use 20 per cent of it and the entire data is wiped off. Illegal data deduction is one of the issues that worry me badly today.”

The minister said he did not agree with an attempt by NCC to defend the operators.
“I was not fully convinced by the explanation.

Please go, sit down and review that issue. It is very important and I want to get your feedback with that report in the next five working days with the decision on it.

“The complaint from Nigerians is beyond what I can handle as it is today. People are complaining. And it happened to me. I recharged my data line and used it, and I believe that what I used was not up to 20 per cent of what I purchased when it was wiped off, so that is an issue that is very important.

“I directed NCC to reduce the price of data downward. It is very important. Go and look at other African countries that do not have population like ours, even 20 per cent of our population; go and see the price of data there.

“As a regulator, the main agenda of NCC is to protect the customers; our priority should be the interest of Nigerians.”

Pantami praised the NCC leadership for its achievements, especially in five per cent broadband penetration and the de-activation of pre-registered and unregistered SIM cards.

He urged the commission to go a step further by ensuring that 3G and 4G technology are expanded in Nigeria.

He urged the new board member to key into President Muhammadu Buhari’s programmes, which he said are anchored on fighting insecurity and corruption and lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty as soon as possible.

https://thenationonlineng.net/minister-orders-cut-of-data-rate/

Good news!!!!
See my signature to make good use of this news...
to earn a very good living for yourself

Good one from the minister, this telcos are really doing us

Hope they adhere to it?
That's when they will start draining Data seriously like a vampire sucking blood

That minister is a good ambassador for youths, unlike yeye bello and dino meliar

Veitnam and many developing countries are now subsidising internet so that more citizen can access education and personal development through it


.

The global average of 1GB data plan is $8.53.
Zimbabwe pays the highest price in the world at $75.20 per 1GB, followed closely by Equatorial Guinea at $65.83, Saint Helena at $55.47 and Djibouti at $37.92.

The way Data just vanishes these days is quite alarming..

Zimbabwe pays N27,000 for 1gb?...

Ehennnnn.


Na now we government dey reason wella

No body obeys orders in this country .

To prove I am right, I order every one to check my signature and patronise me

Telcos kick as FG orders NCC to reduce data cost



....They’re robbing Nigerians – Senate


.....Reduction in 5 days not possible – Operators

Telecom operators in Nigeria said yesterday that the directive by the Federal Government that cost of data should be reviewed downward in five days is “unrealistic and insensitive” considering the high operating cost in the country.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) told Daily Trust yesterday that the Federal Government’s directive was “dictatorial and could scare away investors from the country.”

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, yesterday, directed the Board and Management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to resolve the issues of illegal data deduction and review downwards, the price of data within five days.

Dr Pantami issued the directive during the presentation of Barrister Adeleke Moronfolu Adewolu, the new board member and Executive Commissioner.

Adewolu was presented to the minister by the Chairman of the NCC Board, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

The minister pointed out that there were numerous complaints from Nigerians regarding illegal data deduction and high price of data, adding that he had personally experienced illegal data deduction.

“I am urging the management of NCC to work towards reducing the price of data in Nigeria. It is too costly and people are complaining every day,” the minister said.

“If you go to other countries, even countries that are not as largely populated as Nigeria, data prices are not this high. I am also a victim of some of the infractions that are so common in the industry. You load your data but you barely use 20 per cent of it and the entire data is wiped off.

“The last time I commented on the issue of illegal data deduction…This is one of the issues that worry me badly today. Engr. Wakil making a presentation on behalf of EVC (Executive Vice Chairman), he tried to defend the operators on one hand and the commission on the other, but I was not fully convinced with the explanation.

“Please go, sit down and review that issue. It is very important and I want to get your feedback with that report in the next five working days with the decision on it because the complaint from Nigerian is beyond what I can handle as it is today, people are complaining,” he said.

Dr Pantami charged NCC to facilitate the penetration and expansion of 3G and 4G and urged the commission to design a target on how mobile operators could expand penetration in Nigeria.

He, however, said government was aware of the challenges mobile operators were experiencing in their business such as vandalism and issues of Right of Way (ROW).

According to him, “the way we pursue the mobile operators to do what is right, we should also work together to protect their interest and resolve the challenges they face.”

Our interest is to protect Nigerians
The minister said the main agenda of NCC should be to protect the interest of customers, saying “and our priority is to protect Nigerians.”

According to him, “It is our collective responsibility to make sure we give 100 per cent support to Mr. President to deliver his key mandate.”

He charged the new commissioner to use his experience and support the board to fight corruption, noting that the success of NCC and the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is the success of Nigeria.
‘Reduction not possible’

Speaking on the new directive, ALTON’s chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, told our reporter in a telephone interview that NCC should be allowed some level of independence.
“It shouldn’t be muzzled so that the gains recorded in the country’s telecom industry are not reversed,” he said.

He wondered how the new directive will work without a good framework that will save the huge investments made by the telecom operators.

“I don’t know how the government is going to achieve that (data reduction) in five days. Have they put into consideration the high cost of operating our businesses and the very harsh operating environment we are in?” he asked.

“Why are they trying to muzzle the NCC and stampede it into doing what is unrealistic? Do they know that operators don’t just sit down and fix tariffs” They, with NCC, rely on so many things before coming up with tariffs.

“We do not know under what circumstances the directive was given, and to be honest with you, we don’t know how that is going to be achieved.
“We have said it several times that when policies interfere with commercial matters, the industry will be jeopardised. Government needs to be careful not to whittle down the powers of the regulator.

“To arrive at prices NCC normally conducts survey and research, and after all that, it will benchmark the country’s tariffs based on what is obtained in other jurisdictions,” he said.


Making comparisons

Daily Trust reports that a survey recently released by Cable.co.uk indicated that 10 of the top 50 cheapest countries in the world for mobile data were in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Also, seven North African countries included in the report appeared higher up in the table than majority of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The report included data from 6,313 mobile data plans in 230 countries around the world between October 23 and November 28, 2018.

The average cost of one gigabyte of data was then calculated and compared to create a world wide mobile data pricing league table.

In Africa, which is the poorest continent by GDP per capita, countries in the southernmost part pay the most for 1GB at $7.19 for South Africa, $11.2 for Namibia and $14.12 for Botswana.

In West Africa, Nigeria’s 1GB could be obtained at $3.22, while in Chad it is $23. 3. It goes for $1.71 in Cameroon, $4.1 in Ivory Cost and $2.92 in Niger.

In the North African region, Algeria’s 1GB goes for $5.15; Egypt’s IGB goes for $1.49, Libya’s $4.87and in Sudan it cost $0.6.

The survey said India had the world’s cheapest data plan at $0.10 for 1GB, adding that in the US, it goes for $12.37 and $6.66 in UK.

The global average of 1GB data plan is $8.53.
Zimbabwe pays the highest price in the world at $75.20 per 1GB, followed closely by Equatorial Guinea at $65.83, Saint Helena at $55.47 and Djibouti at $37.92.


Senate speak

Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday said the telecommunications companies operating in Nigeria are “robbing” Nigerians of their hard earned monies.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC Lagos Central), made the allegation during budget defence by the NCC.

“The Telecommunications companies are robbing Nigerians of their hard earned money,” Tinubu said.

She said that senate would do everything possible to ensure that Nigerians using their services got value for their money.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Dambata, said the commission was working hard to ensure there was broadband internet in all the 774 Local government areas in Nigeria.

He said the commission would ensure quality services were given to Nigerians, so that the people would have value for their money.

Dambata, who also pointed out that multiple taxations were negatively affecting telecom operators, stated that they had stopped the USSD billing.

“There is no USSD billing. In fact, the minister said that it has been cancelled. No consumer is being charged on the USSD,” he said.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/telcos-kick-as-fg-orders-ncc-to-reduce-data-cost.html

So we read.. But can they?

Firstly how is that price of 1GB is $0.6 in Sudan but $75 in Zimbabwe?

Who is setting these prices?

Secondly it isn't just a cost of data in Nigeria, but the dishonesty and lack of transparency in the amount of data you are given in reality compared to amount you paid for.

Is there no way to independently check data that is available to a consumer?

Just ditched my glo mifi. Until Glo is ready to come back to its senses from the fast data exhaustion scam. No be my money dem go use renew Glo ambassadors' contracts this year-end.

Good move.

may that will help

B

Emperor!! They should order the power company to give constant power or the diesel suppliers to supply for free

Story story...

Yes
And they should MTN should stop recording voice message automatically if number doesn’t go through. How can you start charging me for voice messages that I don’t want wtf! They removed option to press a key for voice message, it’s now automated to record by force if you don’t quickly hang up


And MTN data no dey reach, I’ll subscribe for 10gb and get to see 4gb total usage on my phone data usage monitor! They’re crooks

Order without providing the enabling environment for the drop in data plan price. This is ordinary lips service. What an irony!!

Way to go

Especially that MTN!
I spend 15k every month on those ingrates..
Tried leaving them but they are the only strong reliable network in my base.

I remember 2011 to 2015, i spend 3k every month and data will still remain before it expires.

Nobody follows orders in this country again, my fellow patriots, don't be hopeful

dre11:


Minister orders cut of data rate

•NCC, operators get deadline





https://thenationonlineng.net/minister-orders-cut-of-data-rate/

Good move that will win the hearts of Nigerians


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It's obvious this dude will make for a great minister, one the northern Nigeria's brightest

can the government actually do that?

this is not like PMS that the government is subsidizing. so if tomorrow govt says all rice should be sold at N900 per bag, what happens?
i cant see how this will fly

My major challenge with data services is not the cost but that it doesn't last at all.

okay, Sir

He absolutely has no right to regulate prices by fiat. Telecommunications is a business in Nigeria and business rates are always determined by negotiation through the NCC which is the primary stskeholder acting on behalf of the general citizenry by interfacing with government.

Negotiation means the NCC too has to come to the table wirh incentives to the telecos to expand, develop, profit and thus reduce prices. That is how business is safely conducted.