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 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.
The NCC has outlined stricter expectations for telecom operators in 2026, focusing on network investment, service quality, customer care, and corporate governance. The regulator will intensify monitoring, enforcement, and consumer protection while promoting fair competition and sustainable sector growth.
Nigeria added 2.1 million new telecom subscriptions in November 2025, driven largely by MTN and Airtel, which together control over 85 per cent of the market. The rebound followed earlier subscriber losses linked to SIM-NIN enforcement and signals renewed momentum in the mobile-first sector.
Nigeria’s telecom subscriptions reached 175.3 million in October 2025, with teledensity rising to 80.87 percent and broadband penetration hitting 49.89%. While steady growth reflects rising demand for mobile and data services, industry stakeholders say faster broadband expansion and improved service quality remain critical for digital inclusion.