Telecom
NCC to Review Rules for Robust Consumer Quality Experience
Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) said it is currently reviewing the rule base to ensure a robust set of rules for the industry, primarily to achieve fair competition and consumer quality experience.
Mr. Ephraim Nwokonneya, head, Compliance Monitoring at the Commission, speaking at a capacity building workshop for ICT journalists in Lagos said that, ‘Nigerian telecommunication revolution’ in the last 12 years has brought with it, increase in investments in the industry especially Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), significant growth in the number of operating companies, massive growth in subscriber population, intense competition resulting in innovative tariff plans and promotions.
He added that the revolution also has attached challenges like quality of service which has tested the regulatory competence of the Commission amongst others.
Hence, the Commission is currently reviewing its rule base to ensure a robust set of rules for the industry.
“Consistent with the above and the powers conferred on NCC by Section 70 of the NCA 2003, the Commission developed the Nigerian Communications (Enforcement Processes, Etc) Regulations 2005; Commence enforcement actions/investigation following results of prior compliance monitoring exercise or verified consumer complaints; Provide evidence of alleged violations to the responsible service provider; Provide opportunity for the service provider to respond; Propose relevant sanctions to be enforced on erring service provider in accordance with NCC Enforcement Processes Regulations; Obtain management’s approval and communicate sanctions to the service provider and Provide opportunity for appeal”.
Nwokonneya, reiterated that NCC has followed international best practices in enforcement procedures.
Comparing countries like Brazil, Singapore, United Kingdom and Nigeria revealed the similarities on enforcement procedures and timelines involved. For instance, timeline for offender’s defence/response shows Nigeria is ahead of Brazil and Singapore that give 15 days’ respectively, while Nigeria and UK give 14 days and 10 days respectively.
Also, final decision is reached on such cases after 30 day from conclusion of investigation in Brazil, 60 days in the UK and Singapore and 30 days in Nigeria. All the countries involved usually publish their final decisions.
Aside that, Nwokonneya said, “Every regulator has a variety of sanctioning tools to enforce compliance to its rules and regulations. However such sanctioning rules must ensure that the severity of sanctions matches the severity of the offence/violation. Some regulators have a specific schedule of fines e.g Nigeria. Some regulators levy fines based on a percentage of the offending licencee’s revenue e.g Peru, Poland, Turkey”.
He listed typical enforcement sanctions applied within the industry to include, “Administrative fines; The specific administrative fines are contained in the Second Schedule of the NCC Enforcement Processes Regulations. Schedule 3 of the NCC Qos Regulations 2012 also contain fines for contravention of each KPI.
“Cases of the N1.17B and N.647B fines against operators in 2012 and 2014 respectively for poor quality of service come to mind here. Confiscation of equipments; Denial of regulatory services; Revocation of licence”.
Although, some schools of thought have argued whether monetary sanctions by way of fines is the most effective way of enforcing compliance with rules and regulations in the industry, adding that the fines may not be severe enough to deter wrong doing and monetary sanctions deny operators the needed funds for network expansions, the Head of Compliance Monitoring at the Commission, said that Monitoring and Compliance can only be effective within the orbits of the available rules and regulations.
He maintained that the Commission would always draw strength from the provisions of Section 70 of the NCA, 2003 to develop a robust set of rules and regulations to guide operations of every facet of the market necessary to ensure ethical practices and to achieve consumer protection.
Presently, NCC boasts of over 20 Regulations, Guidelines and Directions.
These include, Numbering, Type approval of telecoms equipments, Interconnection, Competition practices, Consumer Code of Practices, Universal Service, Quality of Service and Enforcement Processes.
Others are Registration of Telephone Subscribers, Frequency Pricing, Number Portability, Annual Operating Levy, Lawful Interception of Communications and Technical Specification for the Installation of Masts and Towers etc.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is intensifying efforts to implement Nigeria’s planned 112 national emergency number following its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC).
NCC
The commission disclosed this during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and an NCC delegation led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing the Vice President, Olorunnimbe said the NCC had already established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across the country to support a unified national emergency response system.
He said the next phase of implementation would focus on closer collaboration with state governments and emergency response agencies to ensure the effective rollout of the initiative.
The development follows the recent approval by the NEC, chaired by the Vice President, for the adoption of 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number across all tiers of government and emergency response agencies.
The council also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee to be jointly coordinated by the Office of the Vice President and the NCC.
Olorunnimbe stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on the commitment of state governments to support and maintain emergency communications infrastructure, as well as the readiness of response agencies to promptly attend to distress calls.
“We need commitment at every level of all response agencies—from top to bottom—including the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services across the states and, at the national level, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” he said.
Responding, Shettima directed the NCC to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the nationwide implementation of the single emergency number in line with international best practices.
He also urged the commission to work closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), citing the agency’s experience in disaster management, relief and rehabilitation.
The Vice President assured the commission of the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining the initiative, saying funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council and partnerships with the private sector.
He also called for greater dedication from all emergency response agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
The adoption of 112 is expected to harmonise emergency communications across Nigeria by providing a single number through which citizens can quickly access police, fire, ambulance and other emergency services.
The initiative is also expected to replace multiple emergency contact numbers currently in use and improve coordination and response during emergencies.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
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