Telecom prices to drop with new company

Dhiraagu head office tower in Male' City. Dhiraagu is the oldest and the largest telecom provider in the country | Photo: ALIA

Malé, Maldives — The Economic Minister of Maldives, Fayyaz Ismail stated that they expect the pricing of telecom services to get cheaper as the government has decided give another company the license to provide telecom services in Maldives.

The Finance Minister of Maldives, Ibrahim Ameer announced that in an attempt to increase the amount of profit, the government has decided to issue licensing to a new telecommunication service provider in the country. With this, the government expects an additional MVR 300 million to be received in addition to the budget set for 2021.

Minister Fayyaz said that as a new telecom company enters the market, and as the competition among the companies increases, it is expected that the telecom pricing will decrease to a good price over the years.

While noting that the current phone and internet service providers of Maldives, Dhiraagu and Ooredoo Maldives have been providing well profit every year, Minister Fayaz stated that these two companies will not suffer any losses even if another company enters the market.

The government has decided to allow another company to enter this market due to the constant complaints of the locals saying that the internet services of Maldives is considerably expensive. Minister Fayaz said that along with the lowering of prices, a new company in the market will also open opportunities for latest technological services to be introduced in Maldives.

Detailing the information regarding a new telecom operator, Finance Minister Ameer further said that the tender for licensing a new telecom operator will be opened during early 2021.