The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued new directives to telecommunication operators to provide subscribers with clear and detailed information regarding charges for calls and data usage.
In a statement released by Mr. Reuben Muoka, NCC Director of Public Affairs, the directive titled “Guidance for the Simplification of Tariffs” aims to enhance transparency, improve consumer understanding, and promote fair competition among telecom service providers.
Mr. Muoka noted that the NCC’s guidance, effective from July 29, 2024, requires telecom operators to fully disclose all tariff components and conditions.
The guideline is the result of consultations with industry stakeholders, including Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Consumer Focus Groups, and extensive data analysis on consumer preferences and expectations.
The objectives of the simplification guidelines are to reduce the complexity of tariff plans and bundles, ensure transparency and fairness in promotional elements of tariff plans, protect consumers’ interests by providing clear and understandable tariff information, and promote fair competition among licensees by standardizing tariff structures.
Service providers are also required to display all relevant information about their tariffs, including the name of the plan, price, validity period, price-per-second for on- or off-network and international calls, expected data speeds, and fair usage policies.
“Operators can maintain existing bonus-led tariff plans until December 31, 2024, within which period they are expected to educate and migrate all subscribers to the simplified tariff plans,” the directive stated.
Operators must offer stand-alone data bundles at fair prices to avoid tying consumers to unnecessary products. Additionally, bonuses on promotions must be stated in actual value, access fees and asymmetric fee structures must be eliminated.
The directive mandates that MNOs must communicate tariffs to subscribers in clear language and a user-friendly format, with full disclosure of a subscriber’s tariff plan via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).
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