MTN has warned the Nigerian government against making its licence conditions more stringent, claiming such action would increase the cost burden on telecoms subscribers.
“Tougher rules, tougher regulations, greater demands ultimately will impact price, the more you charge up front or the more you demand over a period of time, well somebody has to pay for it. Ultimately the subscribers are the people who will have to pay,” Andrew Bing, chief technical officer of MTN Nigeria, said.
Bing’s comments come after news of plans by the Nigerian government to revalue MTN’s phone spectrum in order to have improving service and infrastructure written into the contracts.
“It’s bigger than the power sector combined, it’s bigger than the cement industry, but they get away with everything, yet everybody wants a piece of us,” he said.
The company’s chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Ikpoki said recently the company has spent about US$6bn in expanding its capacity since 2011.
“We are already operating under fairly stringent conditions; I don’t know what can be tougher than this,” Ikpoki said.
