By Chinenye Anuforo and Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Monday, said it has set the new International Termination Rate (ITR) for voice services paid by overseas telecom carriers for terminating international calls on local networks in Nigeria at $0.045.
NCC said the $0.045 rate is the floor price for ITR services and shall take effect from January 1, 2022.
The Commission made this known in a statement on Monday. It said the rate is to be paid in US Dollar to enable Nigerian operators receive an increasing rate in Naira terms to accommodate devaluation.
“The new rate is contained in the ‘Determination of Mobile International Termination Rate’ issued by the Commission on November 25, 2021.
No licensee shall charge and/or receive effective rate per minute below the determined ITR floor rate. As such, payment discounts, volume discounts and any other concession that has the effect of bringing the effective ITR lower than the rate determined shall be deemed a contravention of the new determination and will attract sanctions in line with the Nigerian Communications (Enforcement process, etc.) Regulations, 2019.
“The ITR Floor is the minimum that can be charged. Operators will be free to negotiate a rate above the floor and this will be entirely left to commercial negotiation between the operators and international carriers/partners. However, while the ITR only pertains to the cost of bringing traffic into Nigeria, Nigerian operators will continue to pay the regulated Mobile Termination Rate (MTR), the local termination rate among themselves.
“The MTR of N3.90 for generic 2G/3G/4G operators and N4.70 for new entrant Long Term Evolution (LTE) operators, determined in 2018, will continue to apply for local call terminations until a new rate is determined by the Commission pursuant to its powers as enshrined in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA), 2003.
“The subsisting regime of interconnection rates was sustained by the Commission’s Mobile (voice) termination rate issued on June 1, 2018. In the determination, it was stated that the ITR of N24.40 determined in 2016 will continue to apply until a new determination is made.
