LAGOS NOVEMBER 30TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The Nigerian Senate has asked the Nigeria Communication Commission, NCC, to immediately halt the proposed Internet data tariff hike.
The new data tariff regime is billed to commence Thursday, December 1, after the NCC had communicated the telecommunications companies and asked the big operators, namely MTN, Glo, Etisalat and Airtel, to hike data price.
The proposal has seen Nigerians protest the hike on social media, expressing fears the government planned to limit citizens’ access to Internet.
But on Wednesday, the Senate, following a motion under matter of urgent importance by Bala N’ Allah, the Senate Deputy Leader, condemned the planned data tariff hike, and asked the NCC to halt the increase immediately.
The new policy, NCC said in its directive to the operators as exclusively reported by The Cable news media, is to allow the “small operators” acquire market share and operate profitably.