Telecom operators have demanded an urgent review of service tariffs to reflect the economic realities of delivering telecom services for industry sustainability.
Without this, they said quality service and its availability could not be guaranteed and the economy would suffer for it.
The chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr Gbenga Adebayo, made the call on the behalf of the all operating companies at an end of the year event of the industry stakeholders in Lagos on Sunday, a statement by ALTON said on Monday.
Adebayo said the sector was under siege and tariffs must be reviewed urgently to avoid collapse of the sector.
In his speech titled ‘Before the final call: Telecom as sector under siege,’ 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 said, “This is not a time for further deliberation or delayed decisions. The survival of the telecom sector demands immediate and bold reform for its sustainability. Our tariffs must be reviewed to reflect the economic realities of delivering telecom services at a minimum for industry sustainability. Without this, operators cannot continue to guarantee service availability.
“As we reflect on the ending of year 2024 there is a need to issue an urgent and critical call to action for the future of our telecommunications industry.
“I must say it again with even greater urgency that we are in the last days for the survival of this sector and if immediate and decisive action is not taken, the hope for a better 2025 will remain just that—a hope.”
Adebayo said the challenges the sector faced were not new, but they had become more acute and more threatening with this passing year.
Rising operational costs, skyrocketing energy cost, the relentless pressure of inflation, volatile exchange rates, amongst other have all placed an unsustainable burden on network operators, he said.
Despite these mounting pressures, he said, tariffs had remained stagnant, leaving operators trapped in a financial quagmire.
He said the resources needed to maintain, expand, and modernise networks are simply no longer available, adding that without intervention, the future of this sector is at grave risk.
“The time for action is now. Let us not wait until it is too late. ALTON stands ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure the survival and prosperity of this sector,” he said.
