Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called on telecommunications operators to inject fresh capital into their networks to address persistent service challenges and meet the rapidly growing demand for data in Nigeria.
The telecom regulator stressed that while some improvements have been recorded, current investments are not yet sufficient to match the scale of rising data consumption driven by video streaming, social media, and other data-intensive applications.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, said: “Operators need to continue to bring fresh capital into the network.
“The improvements we are seeing are real, but they are not yet sufficient to match the scale of demand growth.”
He added that building only for current demand would leave operators perpetually behind the curve, urging them to create surplus capacity, especially in high-traffic urban areas.
The NCC noted that it has eased pressure on networks by reallocating about 100 MHz of additional spectrum to operators.
However, it emphasised that spectrum alone is not enough without deeper fibre infrastructure and sustained capital expenditure.
The directive forms part of the commission’s shift towards more stringent monitoring, including granular quality-of-service tracking down to local government levels and independent audits to verify that funds are deployed for actual infrastructure development.
Despite macroeconomic challenges such as foreign exchange volatility affecting the cost of imported equipment, the NCC maintained that operators must prioritise network expansion and resilience.
Telecom operators have already made significant investments, with some committing billions of naira towards 4G/5G expansion, fibre backhaul, site densification, and rural coverage.
The regulator, however, insists that more fresh capital is required to close the widening gap between infrastructure and user demand.
The move is expected to improve overall service quality and reduce frequent network congestion experienced by millions of Nigerians.
By
TheTimes Nigeria
