Nigerian Communications Commission launched a review of the 1998 telecommunications policy proposing 15 major reforms addressing subscriber complaints around rising data costs, persistent network outages, weak connectivity, and growing exposure to online fraud as the sector confronts infrastructure deterioration threatening service quality across a 230 million population.

The proposed National Telecommunications Policy 2026, unveiled at the Lagos workshop on Wednesday, represents the first comprehensive policy update since the 2000 framework that prioritised basic connectivity over service quality, consumer protection, and cybersecurity concerns dominating the current environment. NCC targets implementation before year-end, pending stakeholder consultations.

Nigeria recorded 19,384 fibre-optic cable cuts in 2025, with 5,934 occurring in Q1 2026 alone, contributing to frequent service outages and unstable connectivity nationwide. The vandalism compounds operational challenges, including over 50 taxes and levies imposed across the sector, right-of-way bottlenecks delaying deployment, and diesel costs increasing from ₦1,770 to ₦1,850 per litre.

NCC achieved only 25 per cent of the planned 2026 site upgrade targets, leaving 4G infrastructure overstretched whilst Nigerians consumed over 4 billion gigabytes of data in Q1 2026. Networks increasingly experience congestion and speed throttling during peak periods as capacity lags demand growth.

“When the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 was introduced, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector was at a very different stage of development,” stated NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida. “The market has outgrown the assumptions of that period.”

The framework restructures telecom governance institutions, updates the Nigerian Communications Act, strengthens competition rules, promotes infrastructure sharing and national roaming, improves spectrum efficiency for 5G and future technologies and introduces transparent tariff regulation. Additional provisions integrate satellite broadband, support AI and IoT innovation, encourage local telecom manufacturing, and establish a Digital Innovation Fund for startups and research.

Consumer protection receives unprecedented emphasis through measures addressing online safety, digital literacy, cybersecurity, and broader internet access. Telecom infrastructure would receive stronger legal protection as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), whilst a one-stop permitting system and harmonised Right of Way fees aim to reduce multiple taxation and lower broadband deployment costs.

The policy shifts from “universal access” toward “meaningful connectivity”, acknowledging that mere network availability proves insufficient without affordable pricing, reliable service, and digital literacy enabling economic participation.

Maida described the current environment as “an era of advanced regulatory frontiers” requiring NCC engagement with artificial intelligence, 5G, satellite broadband, IoT, cloud infrastructure, and critical national information infrastructure. “Telecommunications is no longer just one sector within the economy; it is productivity infrastructure for the entire economy.”

The framework addresses growing convergence between telecom networks and financial services, data protection, cloud infrastructure, and digital identity systems, requiring closer coordination with the Nigerian Data Protection Commission, Central Bank of Nigeria, NITDA, FCCPC, and state governments.

Former NCC Executive Vice Chairman Ernest Ndukwe, currently MTN Nigeria chairman, cautioned against overly prescriptive technology mandates: “Good regulation is essential, but regulation must also remain adaptable.”

For subscribers, successful implementation could translate into stronger protections against online scams, reduced network disruptions through infrastructure protection, lower costs via harmonised fees, and improved service quality through strengthened competition frameworks. However, execution remains critical as previous regulatory initiatives struggled to translate policy commitments into measurable service improvements affecting daily user experience.

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