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NCC Acknowledges Consumer Frustration Over Telecom Service Quality
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has acknowledged growing public concerns over the quality of telecommunications services across parts of the country It assures consumers that industry-wide efforts to address persistent challenges are progressing and beginning to yield measurable results.
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As of May 2026, many telecom users continue to experience dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and network congestion. Intermittent data disruptions have persisted despite heavy investments by operators.
The Commission maintains that recent regulatory interventions, combined with renewed capital expenditure by operators, are strengthening the sector’s foundations. These measures, it said, are expected to translate into sustained improvements in service quality over time.
Structural Challenges Undermining Service Delivery
According to the NCC, several long-standing structural issues continue to affect service quality nationwide. These include widespread infrastructure vandalism, and unreliable power supply. Others are rising operating costs, and capacity constraints driven by exponential growth in data usage.
In 2025 alone, more than 27,000 fibre-optic cable cuts were recorded nationwide, largely due to road construction activities and deliberate vandalism. An additional 1,883 incidents were reported in the first quarter of 2026. Power infrastructure theft also remains a major concern, with 656 generators and batteries stolen from telecom sites in 2025.
High diesel costs and persistent foreign exchange pressures have continued to weigh heavily on telecom operators’ operations. In addition, security-related losses, estimated at ₦27 billion in 2025, have further constrained their ability to consistently maintain network quality.
Government Pressure and Regulatory Resolve
The Federal Government has intensified pressure on operators to improve service delivery. The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has warned that sanctions will be applied where performance fails to improve. He noted that a more stable and supportive regulatory environment is now in place.
The NCC has reiterated that telecommunications services are now fundamental to Nigeria’s economy. Telecommunications is the backbone of modern society, enabling work, education, healthcare delivery, commerce, and access to essential services. As such, consumers are entitled to reliable performance and value for the services they pay for. As a result, the Commission stressed that consumers are entitled to reliable service and full value for the money they pay.
Massive Investments Signal Sector Reset
The Commission noted that the sector is undergoing one of its most extensive network expansion and modernisation cycles in recent years, following a prolonged period of under-investment.
In 2025, Mobile Network Operators invested over ₦2.13 trillion in network upgrades and expansion, while Tower Companies injected an additional ₦373.8 billion. These investments enabled the deployment and upgrade of more than 2,800 telecom sites nationwide, addressing critical coverage and capacity gaps.
Key interventions include:
- Deployment of additional 4G and 5G layers on existing sites
- Expansion of fibre backhaul to improve resilience and capacity
- Targeted upgrades in high-traffic urban areas
- Rollout of services into underserved and rural communities
- Network equipment refresh across legacy infrastructure
2026 Expansion Drive and 5G Acceleration
The expansion drive has continued into 2026, with industry commitments secured for the deployment and upgrade of over 12,000 telecom sites within the year. Nearly 3,000 sites have already been delivered.
Next-generation infrastructure rollout is also accelerating. More than 730 additional 5G sites have been deployed across 27 states so far in 2026, strengthening Nigeria’s digital backbone and supporting rising data demand.
Spectrum Reforms and Network Efficiency
In line with its Spectrum Trading Guidelines, the NCC has facilitated the reallocation of idle and underutilised spectrum among the three major Mobile Network Operators. Spectrum blocks have also been rearranged to improve contiguity, boosting spectral efficiency, network capacity, and overall service performance.
Early Signs of Measurable Improvement
Data from the Commission’s Quality of Service and Quality of Experience assessments—using crowdsourced and field-based analytics—indicate gradual improvements in network performance.
4G penetration has risen from 45% in January 2024 to 54% in 2026. On the other hand, national median download speeds have improved, rising from 16.5 Mbps to 20 Mbps.Power availability at telecom towers has also improved, rising from 99.3% in January 2025 to 99.7% currently.
However, the NCC stressed that improvements remain uneven and must accelerate in areas where consumers continue to face poor call quality and data congestion.
Wholesale Broadband Market and Fibre Expansion
To deepen fibre penetration nationwide, the Commission is conducting an advanced market study aimed at establishing a wholesale broadband market segment. This initiative is expected to empower smaller Internet Service Providers to expand coverage and deliver more affordable internet services.
The effort complements government-backed initiatives such as Project BRIDGE and other national digital infrastructure programmes.
Tackling Vandalism and Infrastructure Protection
The NCC is working closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to operationalise the Presidential Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure.
The collaboration has led to the disruption of organised syndicates involved in the theft of telecommunications equipment. It has also strengthened coordination with federal and state ministries to minimise avoidable fibre cuts during road construction activities.
Transparency, Enforcement, and Consumer Protection
To enhance transparency, the Commission has mandated operators to notify consumers promptly of major service outages and restore services within defined timelines. Major incidents are logged on the NCC’s Major Network Outages Reporting Portal:
NCC Major Network Outages Portal
Under the updated Quality of Service Regulations 2024, enforcement began in November 2025. It includes consumer compensation measures and additional investment obligations for underperforming operators and Tower Companies.
NCC Warns: Enforcement Will Continue
The Commission has made it clear that regulatory enforcement will intensify where measurable improvements are not delivered. It commended the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the National Assembly, and security agencies for supporting its mandate, while calling for a whole-of-society approach to protecting telecom infrastructure.
The NCC reaffirmed its commitment to delivering reliable, affordable, and high-quality telecommunications services for all Nigerians. The Commission emphasized that industry investments must now result in clear, consistent improvements in consumer experience nationwide.
