Banks complete N160b USSD debt payments to telecoms operators

By Favour Unukaso THE protracted Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) debt imbroglio between the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and telecommunications operators appeared to have been totally resolved. This was confirmed by Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, Thursday, when he featured on AriseTV to speak on the firm’s first quarter 2025 result,... Read More

Banks increase SMS alert charges, blame telcos 50% tariff hike

By Favour Unukaso DEPOSIT Money Banks (DMBs) will from today, May 1, begin to charge N6 instead of N4 for SMS transaction done on customers’ account. Leading the charge, yesterday in a notice to its teeming customers, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) attributed the adjustment to a recent upward review in telecommunication rates by service... Read More

NCA 2003 for review as telecom operators commit $1b on upgrades

By Favour Unukaso TELECOMMUNICATIONS operators have committed about $1 billion to the procurement of equipment to boost telephony service in Nigeria.     This was revealed by the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida in Lagos, Tuesday, at a Colloquium on a Legislative Agenda: The Nigerian Communications Act 2003 with the... Read More

783 operators to complete 5G transition as 326 networks go live

By Favour Unukaso SOME 783 mobile operators in over 200 countries are on the journey to complete the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) network. This is even as 326 5G networks are currently life across the globe, according to the Global System for Mobile telecommunications Association (GSMA). The telecoms advocacy body also noted... Read More

Subscribers to lose unused airtime after prolonged inactivity on telephone line

By Favour Unukaso GOING forward, telephone subscribers will be made to lose unused credit on their telephone lines after prolonged inactivity. This is according to a proposed framework, which was subjected to discussions on Tuesday. Subscribers have within 12 months to claim every unused airtime, or they risk losing it. Indeed, at the virtual... Read More

Telcos implement 50% hike as MTN increases data, SMS costs

By Favour Unukaso TELECOMMUNICATIONS operators may have actually begun the implementation of the Federal Government approved 50 per cent tariff hike as subscribers, especially on MTN network, woke up Tuesday to see that the price of its data subscriptions has gone up. This tariff hike came a bit earlier, as the telecoms operators had... Read More

Telco’s tariff increase and NCC’s patriotism

By Toby Prince IN the heart of Nigeria’s digital economy, a story of patriotism and resilience unfolds. The telecommunications sector, a driving force behind the country’s growth, has been facing unprecedented challenges. Despite its significant contributions to Nigeria’s social and economic development, the sector has been struggling to keep up with the rising costs... Read More

Nigeria ended 2024 with 165m active telephone lines, 4m 5G users

By Favour Unukaso  NIGERIA ended year 2024 with 164.9 million active telecommunications subscribers. This is according to December 2024 subscription statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The last data for 2024.     Though the figure was 224.7 million in December 2023, however, the NIN-SIM audit helped to filter the system and by... Read More

GSMA projects $150m new investments into telecoms sector via 50% telephone tariff hike

By Favour Unukaso DESPITE mounting opposition against the recently approved 50 per cent tariff hike for telephony services in Nigeria, the GSM Association (GSMA) has informed that the hike has the potential to unlock more than $150 million in additional mobile network investment and expand 4G coverage to 94 per cent covering nine million... Read More

NCC renews MTN 800MHz spectrum license till 2034

By Favour Unukaso THE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has renewed MTN Nigeria’s 800MHz Spectrum band licence. The approval for the renewal of MTN Nigeria’s first 800MHz Spectrum band licence (Channel 1) for an additional 10 years, is effective from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2034. This was contained in a notice MTN issued... Read More