MTN Nigeria backs off on 200% price hike for 15GB data plan

Details: John Tanner; Category: Operators; 17 February 2025; 19847 views

Amid public backlash, MTN Nigeria has reversed course on a move to increase the price of its 15GB data plan by 200% and issued an apology to customers, saying the tariff hike was a “mistake”.

Last Tuesday, MTN Nigeria raised the price of its 15GB data plan from NGN2,000 (around US$1.30) per month to N6,000, sparking outrage from customers as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria's largest labour union – not least because the amount of the price hike was well beyond the 50% price increases approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) last month.

The 50% tariff increase has already stirred up controversy, with the NLC calling it "insensitive, unjustifiable, and a direct assault" on consumers who are already dealing with higher prices for food, petrol and electricity.

On Thursday, according to local newspaper The Punch, MTN restored the bundle price to its original level and publicly apologised in a letter to subscribers, asking them to “forgive and forget”.

“You are important to us, and we will continue to show you just how much. Let’s keep this relationship going,” MTN said in the letter.

MTN also said that while it had reasons for the price increase, “we understand that it might not make it better. We admit that this was a mistake.”

According to The Punch, citing unnamed MTN sources, the price hike was initially approved because the 15GB plan – which was only available via the My MTN app or MTN’s mobile money app MoMo – was a limited-time promotional offer to attract low-income subscribers and boost internet penetration.

MTN was already offering the plan at a heavy discount, and could no longer afford to offer the plan at that price. While the plan is back to the original offer price, MTN will no longer offer it to new subscribers, the report said.

Meanwhile, the backlash against the overall 50% price increases has not yet subsided. After MTN raised the price of the 15GB plan, the NLC called for Nigerian workers and other citizens nationwide to boycott usage of MTN, Airtel, and Glo services between 11:00am and 2:00pm daily from February 13 until the end of the month.

If telcos don’t restore tariffs back to previous levels by then, the NLC will order a total shutdown of operations nationwide starting March 1, The Punch reports.