Telecom
Stakeholders Chart Strategic Path for MVNOs in Nigeria
A decisive call for collaboration, strategic market positioning, and patient capital has been issued by key players in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector to unlock the dormant potential of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).
The resolution emerged from the sixth edition of the Telecoms Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF) organised by Business Remarks at Ikeja, Lagos State, where stakeholders convened under the theme: Unlocking Nigeria’s MVNO Potential: Status, Trends, Investment, and Future Prospects.
The forum, which brought together major mobile network operators (MNOs), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and licensed MVNOs, served as a candid platform to diagnose the critical challenges stifling the growth of the MVNO sub-sector. The forum stressed that the sustainability of MVNOs in Nigeria is a collective responsibility. It called for unwavering collaboration between MNOs, the NCC, and the MVNOs to replicate the success stories seen in other nations, ultimately fostering a more diverse, competitive, and inclusive telecommunications market for all Nigerians.
In his keynote address, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida said the entrance of MVNOs is expected to provide competitive niche offerings as well as enhance digital communications ecosystem in Nigeria for the benefit of the subscribers and the Nigerian economy.
Ably represented by the Director of Licensing and Authorisation, Mr Usman Mamman, NCC noted that there are now over 1000 MVNOs globally, with more than 500 operating in Europe alone and 46 MVNO Licenses were issued in Nigeria by the regulator in the year 2023.
Addressing stakeholders, Maida stated that the Commission is not oblivion to the challenges faced by MVNOs in Nigeria, particularly in relation to commercial negotiations. He therefore pledged that NCC is working assiduously with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to improve network capacity.
Furthermore, NCC’s EVC encouraged MNOs to partner with MVNOs to target new verticals, drive margin growth as well as to monetize spare capacity, while urging MVNOs players to recognise the viability of the Nigerian market, invest boldly, and position themselves to reap the long-term benefits of their investments.
In his speech, the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, dissuaded MVNO Licensees from blindly adopting foreign MVNOs model for Nigerian local market and consumers. He urged players to conduct diligent market analysis and focus on service differentiation through specialized offerings. “MVNOs need to carve a unique niche specially designed for the Nigerian market,” Emoekpere said.
Speaking on this, the co-founder and executive director, Infratel Africa, Dr Tola Yusuf, stressed that MVNOs in Nigeria’s market must adopt a more strategic approach to succeed in rural and underserved areas. Categorically noting that there are immense potential in connecting these rural communities, Yusuf argued that MVNOs often focus on urban, high-density areas like Lagos, neglecting the vast majority of the population, estimated at over 25 million people who remain completely unconnected.
“The true winners in the MVNO space will be those who develop a clear strategy to serve these markets, even if it requires significant logistical effort, such as using horses or boats to reach remote communities,” he said. He also suggested that the current market might see future mergers and acquisitions, with some license holders potentially selling their licenses as they fail to compete effectively.
Citing examples of banks with MVNOs licenses in other climes, NCC’s Director of Licensing and Authorisation, Mr Usman Mamman during the panel session draws attention to how financial institutions have successfully entered the telecom space by understanding its customers’ needs and tailoring holistic lifestyle services accordingly.
While addressing the need to focus on providing niche services to specific customer groups, Mamman noted that unlike large mobile network operators, MVNOs are expected to be digital-first and flexible, which enables them to be innovative and quickly capitalize on underserved market segments.
On his part, the Director USK Mobile, Dr Chidi Ajuzie, called attention to the capacity constraints by the host MNOs and the revenue- sharing model that can limit profitability. Ajuzie
According to him, “Tier 5 MVNOs are expected to build their own core infrastructure and billing systems (BSS/OSS), but they still rely on the MNO’s radio access network. This creates a bottleneck. Even if a Tier 5 MVNO has excellent billing systems, it can’t offer unlimited data or guaranteed high speeds if the MNO’s network is already at capacity,” he stated.
Ajuzie, however, said some higher-tier are now looking for innovative ways to go beyond the constraint by securing acquiring additional licenses, such as Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Public Licence (PL) licenses.
He also emphasized the
need for a significant expansion of the existing infrastructure, particularly by MVNOs who are now integrating their own fixed infrastructure, such as fiber networks. This expansion, he says, is the only way to “expand the pipe” and create a truly competitive and viable market for all players.
Also speaking ipNX Director of Startegic Business Initiative, Mr Olusola Teniola argued that the nation’s 40,000 telecom towers are grossly insufficient for a population of over 200 million, especially when compared to the United Kingdom’s 75,000 towers for a much smaller population. He stated that unlike developed nations where public funds initially built a robust telecom backbone, Nigeria’s infrastructure was financed by a few dominant mobile network operators (MNOs) who have invested billions.
Teniola posited that the lack of widespread infrastructure, particularly outside major cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, presents a major challenge for new MVNOs, which were intended to serve the millions of unconnected Nigerians, particularly in rural areas. He also warned that without substantial new investment to expand the network, the MVNO business model will struggle to succeed, with only those that can survive a long-term, 7-to-10-year investment cycle likely to see a return on their capital.
In her welcome address, the Convener who also doubles as the Managing Editor of Business Remarks, Bukola Olanrewaju, said the Nigerian telecom market is growing at an incredible pace and the level of success recorded in each country with MVNOs is largely dependent on the regulatory enforcement and interventions, wholesale agreement, spectrum access, and on how effectively MVNOs players can navigate these hurdles.
“To succeed, Nigeria must collectively build an ecosystem that is both competitive and sustainable,” Olanrewaju remarked as she brought into focus MVNOs operations in South Africa, Thailand and Argentina.
The forum, TSSF 6.0, stressed that the sustainability of MVNOs in Nigeria is a collective responsibility. It called for unwavering collaboration between MNOs, the NCC, and the MVNOs themselves to replicate the success stories seen in other nations, ultimately fostering a more diverse, competitive, and inclusive telecommunications market for all Nigerians.
Localised, industrial-grade artificial intelligence (AI) data centre infrastructure will be delivered across Africa and the Global South, following a strategic alliance between sovereign AI infrastructure company Amini, electronics manufacturing giant Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) and French digital firm Bull.
The three-way partnership aims to close the sovereign compute gap by allowing governments, telecommunications operators, financial institutions and energy companies to acquire and operate computing systems domestically.
Africa’s digital economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, which is driving regional demand for AI-enabled services across public administration, energy and finance, the parties say.
However, advanced cloud and AI processing capabilities have historically remained concentrated within a small number of external providers. The partnership seeks to establish locally anchored infrastructure, enabling domestic organisations to retain control over data and digital sovereignty.
Under the agreement, Amini will drive local market engagement and deployment, leveraging its existing platforms for locally anchored data capacity.
Foxconn will provide specialised hardware, server architecture and modular data centre technologies in its first dedicated infrastructure initiative focused on African markets.
Bull integrates its expertise in high-performance computing, quantum computing and emerging-market digital capacity. By operating independent systems, critical national sectors can bypass reliance on external platform architectures.
Financial entities can deploy independent credit, risk assessment and financial inclusion algorithms, while energy providers can implement localised machine learning for predictive maintenance and national grid optimisation.
“AI is becoming foundational infrastructure for every economy, yet most of the world still lacks the compute capacity required to participate on its own terms,” said Kate Kallot, founder and CEO of Amini. “This partnership ensures that Africa and the Global South can acquire, own and operate AI infrastructure locally, with sovereignty and long-term economic value at its core.”
Alexandre Jouys, chief commercial officer and head of Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Bull, added that Africa and more generally the Global South have the potential to emerge as a global-scale AI hub, by continuing to build regional computing capacity and supply chain independence.
The organizing committee of the 2026 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) is proud to announce Dr. Olusola Teniola as the Chairman for this year’s landmark event.
A seasoned leader with over 32 years of global experience in the telecommunications and technology sectors, Dr. Teniola brings a wealth of strategic expertise to the forum.
The Convener of NDSF and Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media group, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, welcomed the appointment, noting that Dr. Teniola’s leadership comes at a pivotal time for Nigeria’s digital economy.
Dr. Teniola currently serves as the Director of Strategic Business Initiatives at ipNX Nigeria, where he leads market expansion across West and Central Africa.
His recent contributions as a Digital Development Consultant to the World Bank Group for the May 2025 Country Private Sector Diagnostic report further underscore the high-level expertise he brings to the 2026 forum.
Dr. Teniola’s career is defined by high-impact leadership and infrastructure development:
- He previously served as COO for Oodua Infraco Resource Limited, overseeing the deployment of 870km of digital infrastructure in Southwest Nigeria.
- He is the past President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and succeeded Dr. Ernest Ndukwe as the National Coordinator for the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4ai).
- His background includes executive roles at global giants such as British Telecom, Vodafone, Cisco Inc, and Alcatel-Lucent Technologies.
- He has been a vital contributor to the Nigerian Broadband Plan (2012-2013 and 2020-2025) and currently serves on the IPv6 Council.
Dr. Teniola holds a B.Eng (Hons) in Computer & Information Engineering from South Bank University, an MBA from the University of Bath School of Management, and an Honorary Doctorate (DBA) from Prowess University.
He is a Fellow of the MSME Institute of Management & Professional Studies and a member of the Chartered Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says ongoing investments and regulatory interventions in the telecommunications sector are expected to address persistent quality of service challenges across the country.
NCC
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Nnenna Ukoha, on Wednesday, the commission acknowledged public concerns over dropped calls, slow internet speeds, unstable data services and service disruptions affecting consumers.
The commission said telecommunications services had become central to work, education, business, access to essential services and social connectivity, adding that consumers deserved reliable services and value for money.
According to the NCC, improving quality of service has remained a major regulatory priority over the past two years.
It said the commission had intensified monitoring of Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers and Tower Companies, while strengthening data-driven oversight and stakeholder engagement to address structural challenges affecting service delivery.
The commission disclosed that the sector was undergoing one of its largest network expansion and modernisation phases in recent years following a prolonged period of under-investment.
It said Mobile Network Operators invested more than N2.13 trillion in network infrastructure and upgrades in 2025, while Tower Companies invested an additional N373.8 billion.
According to the NCC, the investments supported the addition and upgrade of more than 2,800 telecommunications sites nationwide to improve network coverage and capacity.
The commission said interventions included deployment of additional 4G and 5G infrastructure, fibre backhaul expansion, targeted deployments in high-demand urban areas, expansion into underserved communities and equipment upgrades.
It added that operators had committed to adding or upgrading more than 12,000 sites in 2026, with nearly 3,000 already completed.
The NCC also said over 730 additional 5G sites had been deployed across 27 states in 2026.
The commission noted that 4G penetration rose from 45 per cent in January 2024 to 54 per cent currently, while national median download speeds improved from 16.5Mbps to 20Mbps within the same period.
It further said power availability at telecom towers improved from a national average of 99.3 per cent in January 2025 to 99.7 per cent.
According to the commission, spectrum reallocation among major operators and spectrum block rearrangements were also being implemented to improve network efficiency and service performance.
The NCC, however, acknowledged persistent external challenges affecting service quality, including vandalism, theft of telecom equipment, fibre cuts, power disruptions and access denial for maintenance.
It disclosed that more than 27,000 avoidable fibre-cut incidents linked mainly to road construction and vandalism were recorded in 2025.
The commission said it was collaborating with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to implement the Presidential Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure.
It added that operators had been mandated to notify consumers of major service outages promptly and restore services within specified timeframes.
The NCC said enforcement of the updated Quality of Service Regulations 2024 commenced in November 2025, including consumer compensation measures for poor service quality and additional investment obligations on Tower Companies.
It warned that regulatory action would continue against operators that fail to deliver measurable improvements.
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring affordable, reliable and high-quality telecommunications services for all Nigerians.
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