Telecom
Market Imbalance Bane of Broadband Progress in Nigeria– Willsher
Matthew Willsher, chief executive officer of Etisalat Nigeria has once again urged the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to put in place policy and regulatory interventions to address challenges affecting broadband development in Nigeria.
In a paper presented at the 2015 Commonwealth Broadband Forum in Abuja recently, Willsher identified the current situation where most of the telecommunication sector revenues and profits go to one operator while others struggle to survive, as being largely responsible for the broadband investment deficit and resultant low broadband penetration in Nigeria.
Willsher stated that, the presence of several struggling operators, many of whom are barely active, in an industry the size of Nigeria’s, is indicative of serious underlying issues with value distribution across the industry.
“This”, he noted, “is highlighted by the concentration of 70% industry EBITDA and probably all of the industry’s net profit in one operator to the detriment of the rest of the industry.”
Nigeria, he observed, has underperformed in the area of broadband development in comparison to its peers.
“Nigeria’s mobile broadband penetration stands at 10.1% while the average for peer countries in Africa is 30%.
Peer countries have an average Smartphone penetration of 26% while Nigeria’s Smartphone penetration averages 12%,’ he said.
He called for tailor-made regulations to enable unprofitable operators compete more favourably in order to attract a greater share of the currently lopsided value in the industry.
According to him, “it is perfectly normal to have asymmetric regulation in a market where one operator holds the sort of market share and significant market power – and pertinent to ask is whether Nigeria can learn from the success of other markets in restricting dominant players in the interests of the industry and the country at large”.
The Etisala CEO opined that if struggling operators can extract a better share of industry value, they are more likely to increase their broadband investment which will drive broadband development in Nigeria.
He also identified inadequate spectrum to support broadband deployment as a key challenge in the provision of broadband services in Nigeria.
“Mobile broadband is clearly Nigeria’s best route towards achieving its broadband coverage objectives given the high cost associated with fixed broadband. The most valuable coverage spectrum is underutilized with the sub-optimal use of the 800MHz spectrum and the delays being experienced in the freeing up of the 700MHz spectrum. Clearly, Nigeria will be unable to meet the June 17th 2015 deadline set by the ITU to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting,” Willsher said.
He further identified the recent devaluation of the naira and difficulties with sourcing foreign exchange to fund equipment purchases as another key challenge affecting not just broadband development but the telecommunications industry as a whole.
According to him, “the recent closure, by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), of the Wholesale and Retail Dutch Auction windows, where telecommunications operators would previously have sourced foreign exchange to fund equipment purchases at lower rates has forced operators to source foreign exchange at significantly higher rates through the interbank foreign exchange market which is mostly unable to meet demand. Moreover with very high cost of borrowing in Nigeria, funding capital investment from long term instruments adds as much as 30% to the purchase price.”
Willsher called on all stakeholders to take necessary action to ensure that Nigeria’s broadband is developed to its full potential.
This is, he noted, is imperative as studies show that broadband has the potential to drive GDP growth in excess of N400bn between 2014 and 2018.
SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.
SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.
Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has suspended the @Twitter account, replacing its profile with a standard notice citing violation of platform rules.
Musk
The action, which occurred on Sunday, January 11, left users encountering the handle greeted by a bold “Account Suspended” message on a black screen, with no details provided on the specific rules broken or the duration of the suspension.
The development has sparked widespread confusion and nostalgia among users, given that Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X in July 2023, approximately six months after acquiring the platform for $44 billion in late 2022.
The @Twitter handle had remained dormant since before Musk’s takeover, serving as a legacy remnant of the platform’s original branding, and its suspension appears to mark the final erasure of the Twitter name amid X’s ongoing efforts to combat spam, impersonation, and rule violations.
X’s official statement on the suspended page simply reads: “X suspends accounts that violate our rules,” without offering an appeal process or further explanation, unlike standard user suspensions.
Public reactions on social media ranged from humorous laments of “RIP Twitter” to speculation that the move resulted from automated moderation or a deliberate cleanup of legacy trademarks.
xAI’s Grok AI described it as a purposeful retirement of outdated elements rather than a genuine infraction, while neither Elon Musk nor X spokespeople issued any comment as of Monday morning.
This incident underscores the evolving identity of the platform under Musk’s ownership, which also saw a domain shift to x.com in 2024, further distancing it from its Twitter roots.
Industry observers note that while the suspension aligns with X’s stricter enforcement policies, the lack of transparency has fueled debates on consistency in applying rules to high-profile legacy accounts.
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