Technology news and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Nigeria’s internet penetration reached 83.2% in January 2026, with 151.6 million subscribers. While 4G dominates at 53.41% market share, 5G remains at 3.94%. To bridge the digital divide, the GSMA G6 coalition is piloting $40 4G smartphones, supporting a shift away from 2G and 3G networks.
Nigerian telecom operators may soon be required to give subscribers 14 days’ notice before SIM disconnection. The move, part of the NCC’s TIRMS rollout, aims to reduce fraud and ensure accountability in managing churned or inactive mobile numbers.
Nigeria’s telecom regulator has set March 20 for stakeholder submissions on the revised National Telecommunications Policy, paving the way for a 2026 framework focused on spectrum management, broadband growth, sustainability, and emerging technologies.
Nigeria’s telecom regulator has launched a major review of its national telecommunications policy to lower right-of-way fees, streamline taxation, and modernise regulations, aiming to reduce infrastructure costs, accelerate broadband deployment, and support the country’s evolving digital economy.
Nigeria Police uncovered a N7.7 billion telecom fraud involving compromised internal systems, arrested six suspects, and seized properties, vehicles, devices, and funds linked to the cybercrime operation.
Nigeria’s telecom regulator says users will feel the impact of new 6GHz and 60GHz spectrum bands before year-end. The move will boost capacity, reduce congestion, improve speeds, and enable innovation across sectors, supporting broadband growth, digital inclusion, and Nigeria’s ambition to build a trillion-dollar digital economy.
Nigeria’s telecom regulator has opened a public consultation on direct-to-device satellite services, exploring spectrum models, coexistence with mobile networks, and public-interest safeguards. The move aligns with Airtel Africa’s planned rollout of Starlink’s Direct to Cell service, signalling Nigeria’s readiness to shape a regulatory framework for satellite-mobile convergence.
Nigeria’s telecom regulator has appointed PwC to assess competition across the sector, examining market concentration, pricing, entry barriers, and consumer behaviour. The review aims to strengthen regulatory certainty, preserve fair competition, and guide proportionate interventions that sustain innovation, investment, and service quality amid shifting industry dynamics.
Nigeria’s telecom regulator has engaged PwC to conduct its first industry-wide competition review since 2013, amid concerns over market dominance and sustainability. The study will assess structural shifts, new technologies, and barriers to entry, as the sector faces ARPU decline, MVNO fragility, and intensifying digital competition.
Nigeria’s telecom regulator is positioning 2026 as a turning point, promising better service quality, stronger consumer protection, and a fairer market. The NCC says balancing user trust with operator sustainability will drive investment, innovation, and inclusion, supporting Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion digital economy by 2030.