*Scores of telecoms consumers and service vendors, especially in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States, in South-East Nigeria, complain about the Mobile Network Operators’ relatively poor Quality of Service in the region, despite the Federal Government’s recent approval of 50 percent telecoms tariff increments for the Telcos

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

Despite the Federal Government’s recent approval, and Mobile Network Operators’ (MNOs) subsequent implementation of 50 percent tariff increments, telecoms consumers in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States, in South-East Nigeria, and other parts of the country have complained about the Telcos’ poor Quality of Service (QoS) in the region in recent times.

绿帽献妻 learnt the cross-sections of telecoms subscribers in the South-East have decried their Quality of Experience (QoE), noting the tariff hikes are not justified by the services being offered.

Earlier, the telecom operators under the auspices of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) had complained that without tariff adjustments, sustaining quality service might become increasingly untenable in the country’s telecoms ecosystem.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), January 2025, approved the telecoms companies’ proposal for upward tariff adjustments with a 50 percent cap.

The telecoms sector regulatory Commission’s tariff hikes approval has also impacted the costs of phone calls, Short Messaging Service (SMS), and data bundles in the entire digital space in Nigeria.

Consumers react over QoE

Few months after the approval of 50 percent telecoms hikes for the MNOs amid protesters and push backs by some industry stakeholders, the subscribers interviewed in a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey on the impact of the tariff hikes in the zone perceived the development as an 鈥渁ct of injustice鈥� on the populace.

Speaking on his experience in his state, Chief Dominic Ibe, a businessman, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, said that the hike was one of the policies of the present administration that was 鈥渁nti-people鈥�.

Ibe stated: “The people are still reeling from the pains of the fuel, electricity and other increments and do not deserve further infliction of pains.

鈥淭he fuel price increase led to the astronomical rise in goods and services and distorted economic activities.”

The businessman also said: 鈥淚 advise the government to concentrate on reducing the pains borne by Nigerians and not inflicting more.”

Bede Onyia, a human rights activist, also argued that the Federal Government ought to have allowed the MNOs address service hitches experienced by subscribers instead of tariff hikes.

Onyia said: 鈥淪ubscribers experience low service provision, inconclusive calls, and high calls, among other service hitches and therefore need succour and not pains.

鈥淪ervice provision is worse with the tariff increase and this made the situation more deplorable.”

Why telecoms consumers should blame the Federal Government -Service Executive

Relating her telecoms experience since the tariff hikes regime, Monica Okafor, a staff with a service-providing firm, however, urged consumers to absolve them of all blame in connection with the telecoms quality of service but blame the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Okafor stated: 鈥淲e have battled to provide services to subscribers due to the hikes, and if we operate otherwise, will be out of business.

鈥淲e seek patience from subscribers and promise them improved services in the wake of the increase.”

Similarly, some telecoms subscribers, in Anambra State, have described the recent tariff hikes by all the network providers as a 鈥渂urden鈥�, which has forced most Nigerians to use data calls as alternatives to direct calls in recent times.

In separate interviews with NAN, some respondents described the recent tariff hikes as a burden on poor masses.

They also submitted that only the “first-class citizens” are exempt from feeling the impact of the hikes in telecoms tariffs.

In connection with how millions of Nigerian consumers are coping in the telecoms tariff hike regime, Miss Favour Okereke, an online vendor, reportedly explained that she has been exploring various options to meet up with the high costs of data, SMS, and regular call rates.

Okereke noted that she encouraged most of her clients to embrace WhatsApp calls in order to reduce the rate at which one purchases call cards.

The vendor stated: 鈥淏efore the increment, N100 call card could give you about nine minutes or even more, but you won鈥檛 get up to seven minutes of calls now with the current hike.

鈥淵ou know that with the new digitalisation, the world revolves around data, one can easily say that data is life, I spend more on data than I purchase call card.”

No real alternatives as consumers ‘switch from one network provider to another’

As for Mr. Okey Chibueze, who deals in phone accessories and registers Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) for subscribers, while reacting to the development, observed there are no specific alternatives as telecoms subscribers have only switched from one network to another.

Chibueze said: 鈥淪ome subscribers come to register a new line to meet their demands, which they believed is cheaper for them; it could be for the purpose of call or data, this is the only alternative we have as a people.鈥�

Another respondent, Mr Emmanuel Ifeanyi, said he had purchased another line with cheaper call and data rate because of the increase in tariff.

Ifeanyi explained that subscribers are still facing an increased challenge of Internet connectivity, and calls not available or switched off even when the subscribers phones were not put off.

It was also gathered that telecoms consumers in Enugu State observed that hikes in the telecommunications tariffs by network providers had eaten deep in the society.

Telcos only interested in hiking tariffs, improving service delivery -Otegbulu, ex-Regional Manager

Mr Collins Otegbulu, a former South-East Regional Manager of one of the telecom firms, acknowledged that Nigerians are really feeling the impact of the telecoms tariff increments, which he considered outrageous.

Otegbulu said when the authorities increased the retail price of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, several energy consumers resorted to the use of phone calls instead of traveling just to save costs.

Otegbulu also explained that Nigerians were getting used to the increase in PMS because of alternative of phone calls to cut costs.

He, however, opined that consumers are now finding it difficult to make calls the way they ought to because doing so would make them to spend more on telecommunications.

The former telecoms Regional Manager stated: “The painful part of the telecoms tariff hikes is that the services of these telecoms have worsened because they are only interested in hiking tariffs and not in improving their services.

He averred: “The irony of this tariff increase is that it affects both calls and data services.”

In his remarks on his experience in the South-East region, Mr. Okwudili Ewu, a renowned businessman and consumer of all the telecoms networks, attributed the frequency of call drops to bad networks.

The consumer noted that telecoms subscribers in Nigeria do not get value for their money, a situation he described as “very regrettable”.

Ewu further said that there was no alternative because all the telecoms companies were charging the same thing in the Nigerian telecoms space.

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