Airtel Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s largest telecom operators, has adjusted its data rate and implemented tariff revisions......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
This is according to details released on the company’s website on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Airtel says tariff adjustments not up to 50%
The price adjustments affect different data bundles and show the ongoing tariff increase approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The regulator approved a 50% tariff increase for data, SMS, and voice calls in January 2025.
Though the company has yet to issue an official release regarding the increase, the move shows that the adjustment is part of a larger move by operators to review tariffs to mitigate the impact of inflation and exchange rate volatility.
Airtel boasts over 56 million subscribers, and it hopes to earn billions of naira from the new rates in the coming months.
Vanguard reports that a senior company staff member disclosed that the increase was below the approved 50% tariff rate.
Breakdown of Airtel’s data bundles
The company told its subscribers of its commitment to affordability.
According to the new adjustment, the company revised the daily and weekly data plans to include N50 for 40MB valid for a day.
Others are N100 for 100MB, valid for one day; N200 for 200MB, valid for three days; N350 for 1GB, valid for one day; and N350 for 350MB, valid for seven days.
N500 for 750MB plus 1GB YouTube Night and 200MB YouTube Music/Spotify, valid for 7 days; N500 for 1GB plus 1GB YouTube Night and 50MB Socials, valid for 2 days; and N1500 for 5GB, valid for 7 days.
The development comes after MTN adjusted its data rates, raising its 15GB plan by over 200%, which caused outrage among subscribers.
MTN withdraws data price increase
The company later apologised for the outrageous price increases.
Telecom companies had pushed for a 100% tariff increase after remaining static for over a decade.
The operators disclosed that the lack of tariff adjustment has impacted their operations amid rising inflation and high operational costs.
The telcos announced the new tariff increase would be implemented in the first quarter of 2025.
7 key details to know about telcos’ 50% tariff hike
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the NCC recently approved a 50% hike in tariffs for telecom services, sparking debates across the country.
While telecom companies argue that the increase is necessary for the stability of the sector, consumers and labour unions have raised concerns about the financial burden it will impose on Nigerians already struggling with rising inflation and economic hardships.