A new regulatory study now underway could quietly determine the future cost of every call Nigerians make.
By Chioma Obinagwam
The Nigerian Communications Commission is set to overhaul how telecom operators charge each other for connecting calls across networks, Confiance News has gathered.
The Commission has engaged KPMG to conduct a consultancy study aimed at determining new Mobile Termination Rates in Nigeria, a move expected to reshape interconnection pricing across the telecoms industry. It was learned that the study would assess the cost and operational characteristics of licensees involved in originating, transiting, conveying and terminating telecommunications traffic on public networks nationwide.
According to a statement sighted by Confiance News and signed by the Commission’s Director, Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, the exercise forms part of NCC’s broader push to keep telecommunications services cost-based, with pricing that remains transparent, fair and responsive to market realities.
Confiance News understands that the study will examine network, traffic, operational and financial parameters required to build a robust cost model for mobile termination services, a development that could ultimately determine how much operators pay one another, and by extension, how much subscribers pay for calls.
The Commission disclosed that the outcome would support a new regulatory framework for interconnection pricing, promote fair competition among operators, encourage continued investment in telecoms infrastructure and protect consumer interests.
To kick off the process, the NCC convened an Industry Stakeholder Consultative Forum bringing together telecom licensees and industry players to deliberate on the study’s scope, methodology and data requirements, Confiance News reports.
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