Telecom operators in Nigeria have begun to implement load shedding in response to the Nigerian Communica­tions Commission’s (NCC) reluctance to address their demands for a tariff hike.

Load shedding is a deliberate shut­down of telecom services in a part or parts, generally to prevent the failure of the entire system when the demand strains the capacity of the system.

Though operators did not con­firm the development, but there is increased prioritization of network service in high-revenue areas, explain­ing why the service quality of network operators may be good in certain areas and poor in others.

Recall that the operators, citing the rising cost of operations, including the increased prices of diesel, infra­structure maintenance, and a depre­ciating naira, recently called on the NCC to approve a tariff increase to help mitigate their financial burdens.

For instance, MTN, with a subscrib­er base of 79.7 million as of December 2023, reported a first loss after tax of N137 billion since its 2019 listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2023. The telco incurred FX losses of N740 billion ($815.79 million at N907.1/$).

Airtel Africa, which had 50.9 mil­lion subscribers in Nigeria as of March 2024, reported a loss after tax of $89 million for its full year ended March 2024, primarily due to FX head­winds in Nigeria and Malawi.

It lost $1.26 billion to derivative and FX exposures, with $770 million attributed to the naira’s devaluation.

This has led to dwindled invest­ment in the telecoms sector, Carl Cruz, chief executive officer of Airtel Nige­ria, stated, adding that, “The devalua­tion of the Naira moving from N420/ dollar to N760/dollar in a month’s time, to about N1500/dollar today, had indeed affected telecoms industry who rely heavily on importation of infra­structure to grow the sector.’

In the same vein, Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria, said operators are reluctant to invest, simply because of the high operating cost and the deval­uation of naira, among other issues that have marred the growth of the sector.

According to him, “the telecoms sector in Nigeria is now in an inten­sive care unit (ICU) gasping for breath, while calling on the government to intervene.

The sector is facing a lot of chal­lenges of which if urgent action is not taken, it will dry up. The truth is that investors are not going to come to invest in the sector if the fundamen­tal issues are not addressed. To rescue the sector from collapsing, there is a need to increase prices of telecom services.”

Despite repeated pleas, the regula­tory body has remained silent on the issue, causing frustration and uncer­tainty among industry players.

The situation has escalated, with telecom operators warning that if the tariff hike is not granted, they may be forced to adopt load shedding—a strategy that would involve rationing network availability during certain periods.