Nigeria’s telecommunications operators are pushing for a fundamental overhaul of the country’s wholesale pricing framework after mobile termination rates remained unchanged for eight years despite inflation, currency depreciation and rising network costs that have transformed the economics of the industry.
The debate emerged on Tuesday as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) formally launched a comprehensive review of Mobile Termination Rates (MTR), a key wholesale charge paid by one network operator to another when calls terminate across different networks.
The current MTR of N3.90 per minute for established operators and B4.70 for newer entrants has remained in place since 2018, surviving one of the most turbulent economic periods in Nigeria’s recent history. During that period, the naira lost significant value, inflation accelerated, energy costs surged, and operators spent trillions of naira expanding and modernising their networks.
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Industry executives argue that while the NCC’s recent approval of retail tariff adjustments provided temporary relief, a more durable solution is needed.
