The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reassured Nigerians that significant efforts are underway across the telecommunications industry to address persistent Quality of Service (QoS) challenges affecting subscribers in different parts of the country.
The Commission acknowledged the growing concerns of consumers over dropped calls, slow internet speeds, unstable data services, and network disruptions, noting that telecommunications services have become critical to economic activities, education, business operations, healthcare access, and social interaction.
According to the NCC, consumers deserve reliable and efficient telecommunications services that deliver value for money.
The Commission disclosed that improving Quality of Service has remained a major regulatory priority over the last two years. As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen service delivery, the NCC has intensified monitoring of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and Tower Companies, while also strengthening data-driven oversight and collaboration with relevant institutions to address structural challenges affecting network performance.
The NCC noted that the telecommunications sector is currently witnessing one of its most extensive network expansion and modernization drives in recent years, following a prolonged period of under-investment.
In 2025 alone, Mobile Network Operators invested over ₦2.13 trillion in network infrastructure upgrades, while Tower Companies committed an additional ₦373.8 billion to support sector-wide improvements. These investments led to the deployment and upgrade of more than 2,800 telecom sites nationwide, helping to improve network coverage and capacity across several locations.
According to the Commission, the upgrades include the deployment of enhanced 4G and 5G technologies, expansion of fibre backhaul infrastructure to improve resilience and capacity, targeted network expansion in high-demand urban centres, rollout of services to underserved communities, and modernization of telecom equipment nationwide.
The Commission, however, emphasized that while the investments are commendable, operators must ensure that these efforts translate into visible and measurable improvements in service quality for consumers.
The NCC further revealed that the expansion drive has continued strongly into 2026 in response to Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy and increasing data consumption. Industry operators have committed to adding and upgrading over 12,000 telecom sites this year, with close to 3,000 sites already completed.
In addition, more than 730 new 5G sites have already been deployed across 27 states in 2026, accelerating the rollout of next-generation digital infrastructure across the country.
As part of efforts to improve network efficiency and service performance, the NCC also facilitated the reallocation and optimization of underutilized radio spectrum among major Mobile Network Operators in line with its Spectrum Trading Guidelines.
The Commission’s Quality of Service and Quality of Experience assessments, conducted through field-based and crowdsourced analytics, indicate gradual improvements in network capacity, coverage, and internet speeds in several parts of the country.
According to the NCC, 4G penetration in Nigeria has increased from 45 percent in January 2024 to 54 percent currently, while national median download speeds improved from 16.5Mbps to 20Mbps within the same period. Power availability at telecom tower sites also improved from 99.3 percent in January 2025 to 99.7 percent currently.
Despite these improvements, the Commission admitted that challenges still persist in some locations where consumers continue to experience poor call quality, congestion, unstable connections, and slow internet speeds.
The NCC also disclosed that it is conducting a market study aimed at establishing a wholesale broadband market framework that will enable smaller and localized Internet Service Providers to expand affordable internet penetration to homes, businesses, schools, and public institutions.
The Commission identified major external threats affecting telecom services, including fibre cuts, vandalism of telecommunications infrastructure, theft of equipment, power disruptions, and restricted access to telecom sites for maintenance operations.
According to the NCC, more than 27,000 avoidable fibre-cut incidents were recorded nationwide in 2025 alone, mainly linked to road construction activities and vandalism. These incidents negatively impacted network stability and consumer experience across the country.
To tackle these challenges, the Commission said it is working closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to implement the Presidential Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure. The collaboration has helped disrupt criminal syndicates involved in telecom equipment theft and strengthen coordination with government agencies to reduce avoidable fibre cuts caused by road construction activities.
To improve transparency and consumer protection, the NCC has directed telecom operators to provide timely notifications to subscribers whenever major network outages occur and to restore affected services within specified timelines. Details of major outages are also published on the Commission’s Major Network Outages Reporting Portal.
The Commission stated that enforcement actions against operators failing to meet Quality of Service obligations commenced in November 2025 under the updated Quality of Service Regulations 2024. These enforcement measures include consumer compensation requirements and additional investment obligations for operators where service failures are identified.
The NCC reaffirmed that enforcement actions would continue against operators that fail to deliver measurable service improvements.
While commending the support of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the National Assembly, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and other critical stakeholders, the Commission stressed that improving telecom service quality requires collective efforts from governments, operators, host communities, and the public.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to ensuring that Nigerians enjoy reliable, affordable, and high-quality telecommunications services, adding that operators must now deliver measurable improvements that positively impact consumers and support Nigeria’s growing digital economy.