Liberia, one of Africa’s smallest economies, has seen a rapid growth in mobile users over the last decade, but its regulators are stuck in an ongoing pricing battle with two of the region’s largest telecoms companies in the world. French giant Orange and Lonestar Cell MTN, a subsidiary of South Africa’s MTN Group have told consumers they are increasing prices because of a new order which imposes additional surcharges of $0.008 for each minute of voice calls and $0.0065 on each megabyte of data. Prior to the implementation of price floors in 2019 a $1 recharge card gave customers three days unlimited free voice calls within their respective networks, and data was priced at $1 per one gigabyte. The implementation of price floors in 2019 saw an increase in the price of data to $2 for 1.2 gigabytes and $1 for 45 mins of voice calls. Less than a year later, Liberians are faced with another significant increase in the prices. Additionally, the increase in data cost would most likely lead to a reduction in access to the internet. According to the Alliance for affordable internet, Liberia ranks 56 out of 61 countries globally on the affordability of internet. This ranking is based on cost of data as relation to average monthly income.
SOURCE: QUARTZ AFRICA
More Stories
South Africa Still a Long Way Off in Building a National Culture of Human Rights
After Lawsuits and Demonstrations Led by Chagossian Women, Britain Paid Some Compensation through the Mauritian Government to the Exiled Chagos Population
Sister to Egypt’s Most Prominent Political Prisoner Takes the Fight to the UN and EU
MSI Reproductive Choices in Africa Helps Women and Girls Make Informed Decisions about their Bodies and Futures
Kenya’s ‘Linda Mama’ Policy is a Step in the Right Direction Towards Universal Health Coverage
The Women and Caregivers behind Uganda’s Model for Palliative Care
Tunisian President’s Speech was Essentially the “Great Replacement” Theory, but with a Local Twist
The UN’s Largest Annual Gathering on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Tackles the Gender Digital Divide
Challenges And Opportunities – Global Survey Results On Women’s Tech Careers
WHO Director’s Insights on Health in Africa and the IIAG Results
Best Style Moments of Tems
To the World