Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Communications met with key stakeholders to address the proposed increase in data price by the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC)


The Senate Committee was mandated to investigate the proposed increase in data price tariff said to have been ordered by the NCC. The Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola relayed the Senate’s concern over the proposed data price increase.

Professor Danbatta, (Vice-Chairman of the NCC, while addressing the committee, said that the intervention of the NCC was not designed to rip-off the consumers. Danbatta explained that if cheap prices were introduced, they may end up undermining the telecom service operators.

According to Danbatta, the need to avert crisis in the telecom industry informed the introduction of the interim price floor for data services – ₦0.90k per megabyte.

We wanted to protect the Nigerian consumer from unhealthy price war in what may lead to a monopoly that may lead us to the days of NITEL. We did not increase any price but merely provided a regulatory standard to protect small telecom operators.” – Prof. Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC.

In the defence of the NCC, Danbatta said that there were some telecom operators that lacked the capacity to compete with the big operators in the field. Therefore, the ₦0.90k price floor for data was a benchmark below which no operator could sell.

The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu said that in reality the telecom service providers were operating under unfriendly business environment including lack of electricity and increasing security challenges.

This is one area that I believe that we all must face the reality. I am happy the National Assembly promulgated the National Communications Act which required that there be established an NCC. “If you look at the NCC law, it is positioned to reflect experiences, expertise and all of that and I want to believe that there must not be too many interventions in the activities of the NCC. – Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications.

Adebayo Shittu while reflecting on the data hike pointed out that the NCC was deficient at properly communicating the new price floor to the public. Adebayo during the stakeholders meeting appealed to the Senate to assist in the area of holding the balance between the interest of operators and the interest of the Nigerian masses.

Adebayo also spoke about the importance of the ICT sector to bring about the transformation to increase the revenue and to sustain Nigeria’s economy.

the committee’s concerns on the data price hike, Danbatta explained that the NCC does not set prices but provide regulatory safe guides. Danbatta made it clear to the Senate Committee that the NCC would conduct an extensive research to come up with a price floor that would be acceptable to Nigerians.

Click below to watch the full video released

http://www.platokingdomtech.cf/2016/12/ncc-advises-nigerians-to-prepare-for.html?m=1

where is thunder when we need it most. both lightly and epilepsy visit ncc

Professor Danbatta, (Vice-Chairman of the NCC, while addressing the committee, said that the intervention of the NCC was not designed to rip-off the consumers. Danbatta explained that if cheap prices were introduced, they may end up undermining the telecom service operators.

Professor Danbatta,sorry to say,common sense you don't have , listen to yourself again.

I don't think this people know what they're doing, instead of them to make data competitive, they want to help the JJC, when etisalat join d Nigeria telecom, their tariffs was the cheapest.
They should just tell them to merge if they are not competent enough just like most banks did some years back.
Why would u want to favour a internet service provider that doesn't favour your citizens at first?

dis peeps are something else

I am thinking of writing a petition to the national assembly. it is very wrong for us to sit down and have this kind of counter-productive policy thrown at us. They are complaining of unhealthy completions, I bet they are all still making profits. This is beyond social media or profit making. The thought alone is satanic and barbaric. Nothing has brought about more creative, innovation and rapid development like the internet, any person/country thinking of depriving its citizenry access to if belong to the stone age.

Nobody should sit down and be quiet, lets all stand up and be counted!

Na dem shabi[b][/b]

this is almost the same thing posted this morning

Thank God the air we inhale is not from federal government. If not

May God punish all these fools.