Telecommunications companies have received an order from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to streamline their tariff plans, bundles, and marketing initiatives.
The purpose of this action is to give subscribers accurate, comprehensible, and clear information regarding the cost of voice, short messaging service (SMS), and data services.
On July 29, 2024, the directive known as “Guidance on the Simplification of Tariffs in the Nigerian Communications Sector” was released. It requires mobile network operators (MNOs) to release an extensive table outlining the characteristics of their bundle offers and tariff plans.
All the information required for subscribers to make educated choices should be included in the table, such as information about add-ons, their costs, how customers can opt-in or out, renewal terms and conditions, and rollover policies.
The guideline is the result of in-depth data analysis on consumer preferences and expectations, as well as discussions with industry stakeholders, such as MNOs and Consumer Focus Groups.
The goals of the simplification guidelines are to standardize tariff structures in order to foster fair competition among licensees, protect consumers’ interests by providing them with clear and understandable tariff information so they can make informed decisions, and guarantee transparency and fairness of promotional elements of tariff plans.
It is mandatory for service providers to exhibit all pertinent details regarding their tariffs, including the plan name, cost, duration of validity, price per second for both on- and off-network and international calls, anticipated data speeds, and fair usage guidelines.
The directive said, “Operators may continue to offer bonus-led tariff plans through December 31, 2024, after which operators must inform and transition all subscribers to the simplified tariff plans.”
The guidelines also require MNOs to fully disclose a subscriber’s tariff plan via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), and to communicate tariffs to subscribers in “clear language and a user-friendly format.”
Along with these requirements, “operators must eliminate access fees and asymmetric fee structures; bonuses on promotions must be stated in actual value; operators must offer stand-alone data bundles at fair prices to avoid tying consumers with products they do not need.”
The NCC emphasized that operators must meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) requirements outlined in the Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations in addition to adhering to these guidelines.
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