Nigerians Brace for Improved Telco Services After $1bn Investment

By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigerians are to expected to see improvement in telecommunication services as top forms have commenced network upgrades, following investments of up to $1 billion in equipment.

The equipment, received from Chinese manufacturers, is expected to boost quality offering and tackle service issues.

According to a report from The Punch, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) confirmed that equipment shipments have started arriving.

This is line with its deadline to mobile network operators working to make significant service improvements before the end of 2025.

“The ordered equipment have started arriving since early June, and deployment has already started in earnest by the Mobile Network Operators,” the newspaper quoted the NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Mr Aminu Maida.

“They are on course to meet the fourth quarter deadline for significant Quality of Experience enhancements,” he added.

A propped utilisation of the $1 billion will overturn underinvestment in infrastructure in recent years, a challenge that has plagued Nigerian telcos and consumers alike.

This comes following the approval of a long-awaited 50 per cent tariff increase by the industry regulator early this year.

The tariff review, the first in since 2013, was introduced to help operators cope with mounting operating costs, which has worsened due to inflation, energy prices, and foreign exchange constraints.

Mr Maida said it has received deployment strategies from all major operators and is closely monitoring progress.

“As the regulator, we collaborate closely with operators to streamline deployment plans and navigate complex dependencies. All operators have submitted their network improvement and deployment strategies, which we are rigorously monitoring,” he stated.

He also assured Nigerians that service improvements would become visible before the end of the year, even as he acknowledged the scale and complexity of the national upgrade effort.

“Nigerians can expect clear improvements in service quality by year-end, given the country’s vast size and complex network deployment challenges. Telcos are committed to their Q4 2025 network enhancement plans, backed by significant investments in cutting-edge technology to meet rising digital service demands,” the regulator noted.

“As the regulator, we are steadfast in holding them accountable for consistent progress,” the EVC assured.