By Marko Nyoro Abal
On Tuesday, the Western Bahr el Ghazal State Minister of Information and Telecommunication, Samuel Nicola Cornelio, held a meeting with representatives of telecommunications companies to address the recent tariff hikes affecting the state.
Mrs. Achol, a representative from one of the network companies, explained that the increase in tariffs was due to rising operational costs, driven by the fluctuating exchange rate.
The increase in the dollar exchange rate has made it difficult for us to maintain our operations. Both MTN and Zain are facing similar challenges due to rising costs.”
She added that telecommunications companies cannot raise tariffs independently; any adjustments must be approved by the government following an in-depth review.
“It is important to note that no company can unilaterally increase tariffs. Government approval is required after analyzing the situation.”
Minister Samuel Nicola Cornelio acknowledged that the tariff hikes were initiated by the National Communication Authority (NCA) and the Bank of South Sudan (BOSS) in response to the rising dollar rate, which impacts the importation of essential network equipment.
“The decision to increase tariffs comes from discussions between the NCA, BOSS, and the network companies. If the dollar prices decrease in the future, we hope the tariffs will be adjusted accordingly.”
The NCA and BOSS have reportedly agreed to adjust the regulated exchange rate for telecommunications tariffs in response to the rising official exchange rate set by BOSS.