By Belinda Nketia
Nigerian mobile data subscribers are expressing widespread anger over a sharp increase in prices charged by major phone networks such as MTN and Airtel, despite a recent regulatory directive intended to limit such increases.
As outrage mounts over recent mobile data price increases in Nigeria, a resident speaking to GBC Ghana Online has pointed to the combined pressures of currency devaluation and telecom company lobbying as the driving forces behind the tariff hikes, despite the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC)’s efforts to regulate the sector.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest operator, has trebled the cost of its popular weekly 15GB data bundle from 2,000 naira ($1.33) to 6,000 naira ($3.99). Airtel, another major player, has also implemented significant tariff increases, subscribers report.
The price hikes come despite the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms regulatory body, having approved an increase but stating just three weeks ago that it would be capped at 50%. The phone companies had sought an increase to offset rising operational costs.
MTN responded to customer complaints on X, stating that the “price adjustment was necessary to serve subscribers better.” Other major internet providers in Nigeria are yet to issue an official statement concerning these new changes.
One X user wrote: “15gb for 6k in a week? How much I de chop weekly wey my phone go chop 6k😩?” Another commented: “@MTNNG why did you increase the price that much?”
Subscribers also reported that MTN’s 1GB bundle has more than doubled in price, and Airtel has tripled the cost of a similar offer.
While subscribers using Globacom, the third-largest network, have reported no price increases, the overall sentiment remains highly negative.
But the blame, according to a resident who spoke with GBC Ghana Online, lies not entirely with the telecom companies themselves. The resident explained that “The cost of internet in Nigeria has been reasonable for years because of limitations and significant regulations by the NCC.
The resident continued by saying “there were strict regulations to ensure exploitation was absent” and then continued to praise the system, saying, “It’s probably the most efficient system seen in Nigeria; afordable and accessible.”
However, the resident explained, the system’s stability was tied to the value of the naira. “The problem was at the time those regulations were set, the naira was much stable and cheaper.”
“The challenge pops up where within a short period of time, the naira’s value dropped,” explaining the impact of recent economic policies on the affordability of data services. “So what has happened is a result of these network providers lobbying to cause an increment so they can self sustain.”
The NCC has yet to respond to the escalating situation, particularly the apparent violation of the 50% cap it had previously recommended.
Nigeria is currently enduring its worst economic crisis in a generation. The global rise in inflation triggered by the war in Ukraine was exacerbated when President Bola Tinubu’s government removed fuel subsidies and devalued the currency in 2023.
While intended to stabilize the economy long-term, these measures have significantly increased hardship for many Nigerians in the short term.
