‘Consumers spending on telecom services to hit N3.5trn December’
Over 150million telecoms consumers in the country will spend close to N3.5trillion on telecoms services by the end of this year, all things being equal, the Nigerian Communications Commission has.
This will include spending on calls, data services and mobile devices, according to the regulator.
Yesterday, the NCC Executive Vice Chairman Prof Umar Danbatta disclosed that N3.3trn was spent by telecom services in 2016 and the amount will likely increase by this year ending.
He spoke at flag-off ceremony of the 2017 Nigerian Telecom Consumer campaign at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
“In 2015, Nigerian telecom consumers spent a whopping $5.6billion on telecommunications services. And in 2016, they topped it up by another $1billion to make it $6.6billion’’, the NCC boss said.
He said with more consumers now on the four major networks, the consumers spending would increase in 2017.
He said: ‘’Our Year of Telecom Consumer campaign is hinged on two main programmes: empowering the consumer and improving the quality of services.
Prof. Danbatta said; “We have identified degeneration in the quality of service. It was the consumers who were the ones complaining about the quality of service before and the complaints were anecdotal. But we have found out there is convergence between what the consumers were saying with regards to poor quality of service as well as measurement we have scientifically conducted and which conclusively indicated a worsening quality of service situation.’’
Earlier in his welcome address, the NCC Executive Commissioner [stakeholder management] Mr Sunday Dare said the telecom operators must listen and do what the consumers want in order for them to remain in business.