Group advises NCC on tariff reduction

By Udo Ibuot

THE National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, NATCOMS, has urged the current leadership of the  Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, not to be involved with any tariff reduction beyond 2010 since it has few weeks left in office.

The association said the current leadership should go beyond fixing the inter-connect rate which is the base rate and extend the reduction to the price/tariff cap.

President of the association, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, said in a statement that it would be wrong for the current leadership of NCC, which has a few weeks left in office, to set any tariff agenda up to year 2013 and beyond for the incoming leadership.

He said if the tariff reduction was to make any meaning to subscribers and consumers, the NCC must also reduce the price/tariff cap from the very high N50 mark to reasonable N20 for voice calls, as well as the price/tariff cap of N15 to N2 for SMS/text messaging.