The Nigerian Communications Commission, working with consultancy KPMG, has begun a comprehensive review of telecom interconnection pricing, the first major reassessment of the sector’s tariff framework in nearly a decade.
The exercise, kicked off in Lagos at a mobile termination rate stakeholder forum on Tuesday, brought regulators, operators and industry participants into a structured process to reassess wholesale pricing rules that govern payments between networks for completing voice calls.
Mobile Termination Rates are regulated fees paid by one operator to another to complete calls across networks. They influence competition, investment, and retail pricing.
The telecom regulator said the current framework, last set in 2018 and adjusted in 2022, has been overtaken by structural changes in the market, including the rollout of 5G, the expansion of data-led services, and the entry of mobile virtual network operators.
It also cited macroeconomic pressure, including currency depreciation and inflation, which have significantly altered operators’ cost bases.
The Head of the Competition and Tariff Unit at the NCC, Omotayo Mohammed, said the exercise goes beyond a routine tariff review and reflects the need to align regulation with a rapidly evolving industry.
The executive stated that the telecom market has changed materially since the last determination, both in technology deployment and market structure, adding that new service categories and business models now require regulatory attention.
