Minister hints on crashing prices of data, telecoms services

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, has said that with the steps taken so far by the Federal Government, prices of data and telecommunication services are expected to crash by 40 per cent

He said the steps being taken by the Federal Government would attract huge local and foreign investments into the sector.

He said the government has addressed two critical challenges in the telecommunications industry, particularly Right of Way (RoW) Charges and infrastructural protection and development.

The Minister disclosed this while declaring open a 5-day training programme organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) for ICT reporters in Abuja.

He noted that broadband penetration has been pushed from 30 to 40.18 per cent within the last one year due to improvement on infrastructure.

The Minister said the government was targeting a 40 per cent reduction in data prices and other telecommunication services by 2025.

Pantami said this move was part of the policy measures taken by the present administration to promote digital economy and improve the living standard of the citizenry.

He said skills acquisition and development would be emphasized by the government ahead of certificates or degrees.

The Minister said the training for journalists was part of the government’s contribution towards upgrading the skills and knowledge of members of the media as the new knowledge acquired during the programme would benefit the larger society.

Dr Pantami, however, called on the media practitioners to upheld professionalism and integrity in reporting, stressing that responsible journalism is key to democracy and good governance.

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