FG To Reduce Data Cost Per Gigabyte From N1000 to N390

Umar Danbatta 

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), Umar Danbatta, has disclosed plans by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy to reduce the cost of data plan per Gigabyte from N1,000 to N390.

This was disclosed on Saturday, October 24, while addressing journalists in Kano state.  

Danbatta disclosed that part of the plan was the new national broadplan for the year 2020-2025, which speculates that Nigeria must provide broadband connectivity. 

The broadband connectivity is to cover virtually all parts of the country, as 4G infrastructure is to be also deployed across the country. 

According to Danbatta, the ministry had been tasked to come up with digital strategies and economy policies. 

He noted that all efforts put in place were intended to bring down data cost to N390 as against the N1,000 charged by Mobile Network Operators. 

“Actually the cost has come down to N1,000/gigabyte of data, but the government is saying that we should be targeting N390 in the next. 3 to 5 years.

"We need pervasive broadband data infrastructure because at the landing point in Lagos, where we have all the submarine cables," he said. 

While Danbatta affirmed that the plan is being pursued to be implemented, he explained that there is company licensing framework and infrastructure that would give companies the ability to afford selling the said data to retail agents who will in turn sell to the masses.