Months after Nigerian telecom subscribers began paying higher tariffs for voice and data services, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has shifted its attention from pricing to competition and consumer experience. The regulator launched a stakeholder review in January to examine whether market competition is translating into tangible benefits for subscribers, amid growing concerns over service quality.
The assessment focuses on the voice and data segments of the telecom industry, scrutinizing how operator behavior, market structure, and competition affect consumer outcomes. This move comes in response to sustained complaints from users, who argue that increased tariffs have not resulted in noticeable improvements in network performance.
Despite higher prices implemented last year, users continue to report issues such as dropped calls, slow or inconsistent data speeds, billing disputes, and uneven network coverage. These challenges have heightened public pressure on the NCC to demonstrate that competition benefits consumers rather than just telecom operators. Regulators are particularly interested in whether service differentiation extends beyond pricing to quality, reliability, and overall customer experience.
Market concentration is also under review, as the Nigerian mobile sector is dominated by four major operators, with two controlling over 85% of subscriptions. While scale has supported wider coverage and infrastructure investment, regulators are evaluating whether this concentration limits genuine competition and discourages service improvements in underserved regions. The review additionally explores service bundling, infrastructure access, switching behavior, and potential anti-competitive practices.
By engaging telecom operators, infrastructure providers, internet service providers, and consumer groups, the NCC aims to produce evidence-based recommendations that strengthen competition and prioritize consumer welfare. For millions of Nigerians relying on mobile networks for communication, digital payments, entertainment, and remote work, the outcome of this review could determine whether higher tariffs eventually translate into reliable, high-quality services.
source: The sun