The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued guidance for the telecom operators mandating them to provide adequate information to the subscribers on how they are being charged for each call and data consumed.
This directive is contained in a document released by the regulator titled, ‘Guidance for the Simplification of Tariffs’, through which the Commission is seeking to enhance transparency, improve consumer understanding, and foster fair competition amongst its licensees.
The guidance comes amid increasing complaints by telecom subscribers about data depletion and airtime being exhausted faster than expected.
The Commission in the document, highlighted that full disclosure of all tariff components and conditions is mandatory and asked telcos to ensure that all marketing and promotional materials are clear and comprehensible.
Adequate information on tariffs
In the guidance which took effect on July 29, 2024, the NCC said all the operators must make available every detail of their tariffs.
“Every Operator is required to publish on its website (in a tab dedicated to tariff information), a table showing characteristics of each tariff plan and bundle it offers.
“The table must display all information which is necessary to enable the subscriber to make a comparison between the offered tariff plan and others, and thereby make an informed choice,” it said.
NCC added that whenever a subscriber requests their account balance through the *310#, the response must include information such as Name of Plan and Validity Period (if applicable); rate per second (and rate per minute) on-net/off-net; rate per megabyte/kilobyte/gigabyte; and rate per SMS on-net/off-net.
Consumer education
It also urged the operators to prioritize consumer education and transparency in all communications to ensure subscribers can make informed choices.
“Develop and submit detailed migration plans to transition subscribers smoothly to new tariff plans, without loss of service quality or benefits.
“All promotional elements must receive prior approval from the Commission and should be offered as standalone products with clear terms and validity periods.
“Submit comprehensive periodical reports detailing all active tariff plans, bundles, promotions, and Quality of Service metrics,” NCC said in the guidance, which took effect from July 29, 2024.
According to the commission, all promotional elements are to be removed from tariff plans and be offered as standalone promotions, subject to its prior approval, time limits, QoS/capacity requirements, and adherence to full disclosure requirements.
The NCC said operators can maintain existing bonus-led tariff plans till December 3, within which period they are expected to educate and migrate all subscribers to the simplified tariff plans.
What you should know
Lack of adequate information, especially on data usage, has led to incessant complaints by subscribers about data depletion. Specifically, mobile network operators comprising, MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile have been at the centre of consumer complaints on data depletion.
However, according to the NCC, there are several factors causing data depletion for most subscribers, part of which include background apps and automatic updates on mobile.
Meanwhile, in a move suggesting that the service providers might also be a factor in the data depletion complaints from the subscribers, the Commission recently directed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to conduct an independent audit of their billing systems.
It also promised to simplify tariff plans that would provide enhanced transparency to the consumer, which led to the release of the guidance.
