Telecoms operators have threatened upward review of their tariff over rising cost of doing business and safety of telecommunications infrastructure in the country.

The operators also said they are considering varying tariff to some of unfriendly telecommunications states in order to accommodate their demands.

Chairman of Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, told newsmen on Thursday in Lagos that the high cost of energy and security of telecom workers was hampering its operations.

“We are concerned that unless there is an intervention to safe this sector, operators will have no choice than to begin a process of price review.

“Operators are very concerned about the rising cost of diesel and its implications on the general cost of business,” the ALTON chairman said.

He said the government needed to do a lot more to keep the nation safe and keep telecom workers safe.

“We reaffirm our commitment to working with the security agencies in order to get necessary support for national security.

“We now need protection from sub-national government and agencies to stop the interference of smooth operations of telecom services,” he said.

U.S. begins work on $537m world’s largest Consulate in Lagos

Speaking on Kogi State, the association said it was concerned about the shutting down of telecommunications facilities in the state over disputes arising from unusual taxes and levies demanded by Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS).

He said the situation had resulted in the outage of over 70 sites across parts of Kogi.

Speaking on degrading quality of service in Abuja, he said: “The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Directorate for Signage and Advertisement, has refused to grant telecommunication service providers permit to build infrastructure in the Federal capital city.”

Adebayo said that the refusal was affecting the quality of services around FCT and Abuja.

He urged the Federal Executive Council to prevail on the FCDA in granting approval/permit to its members to deploy infrastructure.

The Star