Telecommunications companies are waiting for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to approve their proposal to hike tariffs by 100 per cent, MTN’s chief executive officer Karl Toriola said.

Mr Toriola said in an interview on Arise TV on Thursday that the tariff hikes, if approved, will enable them to sustain their business in the long term.

“We’ve put forward requests of approximately 100 per cent tariff increases to regulators,” said Mr Toriola. “I doubt they’re going to approve that quantum of increases because they are very, very sensitive to the current economic situation in the country.”

Mr Toriola’s revelation came days after the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said the industry faced a critical challenge requiring urgent attention. Its chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, said operators struggled to survive due to rising operational costs and stagnant tariffs.

The MTN CEO, therefore, urged telecom regulators to consider the current realities in the sector in approving the tariff hike, stressing their appeal was not for their businesses’ short-term profitability but for the good of their customers.

“I believe we’re all on the same side, the policymakers, the regulators, our chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, and the industry.

“We’re united because we share concerns about a few fundamental issues. First, human rights are critical to driving any economy. Without a sustainable industry, the broader economy and the well-being of the people will be negatively impacted,” Mr Toriola stated.

Telecommunication companies recently threatened that customers would experience service disruptions and poor telecom services in some areas unless the tariffs were hiked.