en.Wedoany.com Reported - MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola recently defended the country's mobile data pricing at the MTN Data Trial Conference held in Lagos, arguing that Nigeria's data prices are competitive globally and suggesting critics compare tariff levels with African markets such as Kenya and Congo. Toriola emphasized that even after a 50% tariff increase in January 2025, Nigeria's data costs remain among the lowest globally.
In January 2025, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved a 50% increase in telecom tariffs, citing operational cost pressures, the depreciation of the naira against the US dollar, and the need to sustain infrastructure investments. This marks the first tariff adjustment in the country's telecom sector since 2013, with the NCC describing the increase as a structural correction, while some operators had sought hikes exceeding 100%.
The tariff hike sparked strong opposition from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which organized nationwide protests, arguing that the decision was a direct attack on workers, especially against the backdrop of cumulative economic pressures from fuel subsidy removal, currency depreciation, and food inflation. Although the NCC pledged that the tariff increase would be used to improve network services, many users reported no significant improvement in network performance, highlighting a gap between regulatory promises and actual delivery.
According to Cable.co.uk's annual global mobile data pricing index, measured by raw price per GB, Nigeria has long been ranked as one of the lowest-cost markets globally. However, affordability relative to income presents a different picture: with Nigeria's per capita GDP below $2,200, an average worker must spend a higher proportion of their monthly income to access a meaningful data plan, far exceeding that of users in Europe, North America, or East Asia. Toriola did not address this affordability dimension in his remarks.
MTN Nigeria, the country's largest mobile operator with approximately 80 million subscribers, effectively sets the market benchmark with its pricing decisions. Since 2023, the naira has depreciated by over 60% against the US dollar, further compressing users' purchasing power. Toriola's defense aims to address persistent public dissatisfaction stemming from the gap between cost and network quality, rather than mere price complaints.
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