Telecom
Preparing for Expected Broadband Revolution
The growth in telecommunications sector of the country is expected to move from growth level to development where service providers are to consolidate on improved quality of service. Presently, over 80 percent of telephone and internet access in the country are through mobile communications facilitated by satellite and microwave technology. It has been observed by telecom experts that quality of service delivered by operators using the above mentioned technology is affected by atmospheric condition making the technology not suitable for reliable service delivery compared to optic fiber also known as terrestrial infrastructures.
A fibre optic cable is made from a glass or plastic core that carries light surrounded by glass cladding that (due to its lower refractive index) reflects “escaping” light back into the core, resulting in the light being guided along the fibre.
The greatest improvement in access to telephones has had positive impact in virtually all facets of life, including political, social and economic activities, thus resulting in an exponential growth in the subscriber lines due to the widespread of networks across the country.
Currently, the growth and potential earnings accruable from telecommunication services in Nigeria economy is comparable to other markets in the world, and the current rate of network growth across the country is impressive. Quite a number of global technology corporations are extending their operations to Nigeria with a multiplier effect on the economy and international trade between us and other countries of the world and in particular the West African sub region. The result of this is more competitive market environment and high potential for wired line network service providers.
However, it is encouraging to note that despite the current rapid development of telecommunications in Nigeria, there is still a great opportunity for further development as Nigeria being the most popular country in Africa, has an estimated addressable telecommunications market of 120 million subscriber lines, and in view of our landscape, the country remains major market for long distance network operators due to increasing demand for multi service, such as voice, data, broadband internet service, rural telephony access and unified service which provides a biggest prospect for wired line service providers.
Some telecom analysts have argued that due to the mobile nature of Nigerians, and as the demand for mobile services continues to grow, that there will be no room for wired line operators. Experience has shown that in order for predominantly mobile operators to improve on their quality of service they must invest in fibre optic backbone, and in order for them to capture multi service segment of the market, they must invest in last mile terrestrial copper infrastructure: there are two ways around this, one is to begin massive investment in this regard, or to invest and or acquire small and medium sized wired line local loop operators.
As the telecommunications industry evolves, it provides increasing opportunity for wired line networks, as operators are challenged to ensure that every city, towns, villages, hamlets, rivers and creeks in Nigeria are covered with multi services: voice, data, video and broadband internet.
Particularly in the new license regime holders are allowed to provide more than one service under the same license.
Preparing to Move forward
The absence of terrestrial infrastructure in the telecommunications industry is being felt in all service deliveries especially as the industry will soon witness an unprecedented capacity with the landing of two undersea cable Glo 1 which landed last year and MainOne expected to land in few weeks. For instance, in direct-to-home satellite television broadcasting it is a common occurrence for service to be disrupted each time it rains. More so, the hope of offering a broadband internet service cannot be realized with a fibre optic infrastructure. Its absence is responsible for narrow band service rendered in the sector.
It is against this backdrop that telecommunications giant Globacom began its fibre optic ring project across the country. So far, it has completed Abuja to Kano, Minna, Enugu, Owerri among others, even as work on other parts of the country is still ongoing.
Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (Nitel) has fibre optic ring that is not being used probably because it has not found its bearing in the industry with controversies in its privatization process, which resulted in the company’s refusal to lease out the infrastructure to other operators that requested for it to enhance their service delivery to last mile.
This however led to them embarking on similar project. Today, MTN in order to meet the fast growing high- capacity transport and connectivity needs has completed a world-class quality Metropolitan Area Fibre Networks in Ibadan, Kano, Warri and Aba. The implementation supports the rolling out 3G services. This is in addition to 3,885km of fibre optic backbone networks popularly referred to as “Blaze” network. Blaze was implemented in four phase namely: Phase 1&2: Southern and South Eastern rings with a total span of 2,422km Phase 3: Northern ring with a total span of 1,116km Phase 4: Niger Delta (completed in October 2007) with a total span of 347km.
Zain Nigeria is also expected to complete its fibre optic project that spans over 4,000km. All these are geared towards high data rate and wide bandwidth.
Projects of this sort are required by operators to deliver last mile services that are going to be available when the undersea cable infrastructure begins to sale bandwidth to operators at a cheaper cost which is the expected broadband revolution.
Going forward, there will be no longer any difference between mobile service providers or private telephone network operators (PTO) and fixed wireless operators as the technology barrier is removed with the unification of licenses, which in turn is an opportunity for hitherto mobile only operators to harness their network resources and offer bundled application.
However, there is the high risk that smaller ‘legacy’ operators with limited local loop coverage may not have a place in the market, as the bigger players begin to offer services which were mainly offered by smaller local loop operators which is now happening.
In essence, Nigeria will begin to see emergence of mega telecommunication operators that would offer unlimited services to their subscribers, with massive expansion of their network, and enormous benefit for their existing market goodwill, and a significant increase in the demand for multi-service.
A significant impact of this opportunity for the market is to streamline end-of-line service delivery to consumers.
Unification of licenses has finally resulted in genuine unification of services with providers offering attractive discount deals to end-users which will soon be the order of the day in no distant time in telecom landscape.
The market will begin to offer bundled services, as costs are driven down, the competition between wireless and wired line services would continue to grow.
The power of service bundling is becoming manifest, as the market grows and it offers major prospects for wired line service providers.
What this combination means is that the next few years may see wireless ‘only’ providers emerging as largely long distance wholesale carrier providers, and landline telecom companies would remain largely as retail terrestrial and local loop entities.
In many cases, wireless carriers are saddled with high cost of frequency and bandwidth channels, as such ability to offer consumer friendly rates for multi-service at high quality.
Mr. Gbeng Adebayo, Chief Executive Officer, Communications Network Support Services, said wired line Telcos have introduced very proficient retails rates in the market. “The cost per new customer for a typical wired line subscriber is relatively low and with excellent quality of service. In addition, wired line operators are able to offer multi-service such as broadband internet, high speed data communication and video communication at a very affordable rate without compromise on quality of services,” he said.
Most importantly, because of the fixing nature of infrastructure, the wire line Telco has an ongoing long term relationship with their customers; therefore their customer loyalty is much higher than that of mobile operators.
Market research has shown that in the urban areas, a large number of residential consumers have a higher retention of their fixed lines which offers value added services such as the internet and data connection than their mobile lines.
The Internet today is the largest single network in the world and it will continue to remain for a long time to come as well as a major source of income for wired line operators as the mobile operators continue to battle with high bandwidth charges.
The challenges for wired network operators in Nigeria range from the difficulty in infrastructure deployment multiplicity of right of way approval processes, non willingness of operators to co share underground ducts and exchange of dark fibre, as well as willful and unwilful damage to cable network infrastructure.
However, the major advantage lies in the size of the market, the need to grow the national fibre optic transmission backbone and the increasing demand for bundled multi-service: voice, data communications and broadband internet services which today can be delivered at affordable rates and best quality by fixed network operators.
As the industry prepares for broadband revolution orchestrated by both developments in the sector which is moving away from voice services to value added as will as the expected availability of the much needed bandwidth capacity stakeholders in the industry should collectively address issues relating to making broadband services available to end users.
Airtel Nigeria has secured a fresh 10-year renewal of its spectrum licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), reinforcing the telecom operator’s long-term commitment to expanding broadband connectivity and improving digital access across the country.
The renewed licence covers Airtel’s spectrum holdings, which are critical to the delivery of voice and high-speed data services, providing regulatory certainty for continued investments in network expansion, capacity upgrades and improved customer experience.
According to the company, the renewal underscores confidence in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector and will support its ongoing efforts to bridge the country’s digital divide by extending quality connectivity to more underserved communities.
Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer, Airtel Africa, said the renewal provides the company with the confidence to continue investing in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
He said, “The spectrum renewal reaffirms our long-term commitment to Nigeria, our largest market. It gives us the certainty required to continue investing in network expansion, improve service quality and accelerate digital inclusion for millions of Nigerians.”
Taldar added that Airtel remains focused on expanding broadband access and supporting Nigeria’s digital economy agenda through sustained investments in telecommunications infrastructure.
He further said, “We appreciate the Nigerian Communications Commission and the Federal Government for their continued support in creating an enabling environment for investment. We remain committed to delivering reliable and affordable connectivity while contributing to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.”
Meanwhile, Industry observers said the licence renewal removes regulatory uncertainty and allows Airtel to pursue long-term capital investments, including the expansion of 4G and 5G networks, as demand for mobile data and digital services continues to grow across Nigeria.
The renewal comes as telecom operators continue to invest heavily in broadband infrastructure to meet rising data consumption and support government efforts to achieve Universal digital access.
Furthermore, It also aligns with the NCC’s objective of ensuring efficient spectrum management while encouraging sustained private sector investment in the country’s telecommunications industry.
Telecom
GSMA Supports Abuja Declaration on Meaningful Connectivity for Africa, Joins Partners to Launch ATLAS Umoja
The GSMA supports the Abuja Ministerial Declaration on Meaningful Connectivity for Africa by Ministers and Heads of Delegation at the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-2026), describing it as an important milestone in strengthening Africa’s digital future through evidence-based policy, investment and regional collaboration.
The Declaration commits African governments to advancing policies that promote meaningful connectivity, digital inclusion, technology-neutral regulation, resilient digital infrastructure and locally relevant digital services. It also reinforces the importance of collaboration between governments, industry and development partners to close the continent’s connectivity and usage gaps.
Throughout the conference, the GSMA has worked alongside governments, regulators and industry leaders to support these shared ambitions through practical policy engagement, evidence-based research and new collaborative initiatives designed to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.
Speaking during the ATU-GSMA African ICT Regulatory Leaders’ Forum, policymakers and regulators explored how stronger evidence-based regulation, greater regulatory harmonisation and future-ready policy frameworks can create an enabling environment for investment, innovation and sustainable digital growth across Africa. Drawing insights from the GSMA’s Digital Africa Index, participants also examined future-ready approaches to satellite regulation, highlighting how technology-neutral licensing frameworks can support innovation while extending connectivity to underserved communities.
Caroline Mbugua, Senior Director, Public Policy, Africa, GSMA, said: “The Abuja Ministerial Declaration sends an important signal that African governments share a common vision for delivering meaningful connectivity through modern, evidence-based and investment-friendly policy. Its emphasis on digital inclusion, technology-neutral regulation, resilient infrastructure and stronger regional collaboration reflects the practical policy foundations needed to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.”
Launching ATLAS Umoja AI
Supporting the ambitions set out in the Abuja Declaration, the GSMA, Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Togo’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Transformation, Kenya’s Ministry of information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Namibia’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Benin’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and Innovation, Awarri, Zindi, Pawa AI and Mozisha today announced ATLAS Umoja AI –a new pan-African initiative to strengthen collaboration on African language AI.
Designed to complement national AI programmes, ATLAS Umoja will bring together governments, industry and researchers to share expertise, datasets and best practice, helping develop trusted, scalable AI that better reflects Africa’s languages, cultures and development priorities. The initiative aims to accelerate innovation, attract investment and scale African language AI across the continent.
The launch builds on the momentum of the newly established AI for Good Global Commission. Ministers from Nigeria, Namibia and Togo, who serve on the Commission, have committed to support Africa Umoja, demonstrating how African leaders are turning global ambitions for trusted and inclusive AI into practical regional collaboration.
Angela Wamola, Head of Africa, GSMA, said: “Africa’s AI future must reflect Africa’s own languages, communities and development priorities. ATLAS Umoja brings together governments, industry, researchers and innovators to build African language AI at scale. By making AI and digital services available in the languages people speak every day, the initiative will help tackle two of the biggest barriers to internet adoption – digital literacy and locally relevant content – supporting efforts to close Africa’s usage gap and expand meaningful connectivity across the continent.”
Dr. Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of Nigeria said:“Artificial Intelligence will be a defining technology for Africa’s future, but its benefits must be built on our own languages, cultures and knowledge systems. Nigeria is proud to have taken the first step through N-ATLAS and is equally proud to see that vision evolve into the continental ATLAS Umoja AI.
“By working together with governments, researchers and ecosystem partners across Africa, we can build AI that is more inclusive, locally relevant and accessible to millions of people, while strengthening Africa’s digital sovereignty and creating new opportunities for innovation, education and economic growth.”
Silas Adekunle, Founder & CEO, Awarri added: “Awarri is proud to support The ATLAS Umoja AI and contribute lessons from N-ATLAS, which has demonstrated what is possible when African language data, local technical talent and practical AI applications are brought together. This is an important opportunity to help build AI systems that work for African languages and communities.”
Celina Lee, CEO & Co-Founder, Zindi concluded: “Africa’s AI future will be built by the people who best understand its languages, cultures and communities. Through ATLAS Umoja AI, we have an opportunity to empower local researchers, data scientists and developers to solve meaningful challenges, strengthen national AI capabilities and ensure African language AI is developed by Africans, for Africans.”
Alongside the launch of ATLAS Umoja AI, the GSMA continued discussions with policymakers at the ATU Conference on future-ready regulatory frameworks, including satellite connectivity, spectrum policy and technology-neutral licensing.
Drawing on the GSMA Satellite Regulatory Playbook, discussions explored how modern regulation can encourage investment, expand meaningful connectivity and support the ambitions of the Abuja Declaration.
Together, the Abuja Declaration, ATLAS Umoja and continued collaboration between governments, regulators and industry represent an important step towards expanding meaningful connectivity, accelerating digital inclusion and supporting Africa’s digital transformation.
Samsung has unveiled its most advanced foldable smartphone lineup yet, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8, and Galaxy Z Flip8. The tech conglomerate now sets a new benchmark for premium mobile innovation.
Konga
Nigerian customers can now pre-order the new devices on Konga, Samsung’s trusted e-commerce partner, and stand a chance to receive Samsung gift items worth up to ₦1 million, making this one of the most rewarding smartphone launches of the year.
Designed for productivity, creativity, and everyday convenience, the new Galaxy Z series introduces Samsung’s most refined foldable experience to date.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra combines an expansive display with AI-powered productivity, a powerful 200MP camera, an ultra-thin design, and enhanced durability for users who demand the very best.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 delivers immersive entertainment and seamless multitasking in a lighter, wider form factor, while the Galaxy Z Flip8 elevates self-expression with its sleek design, smarter FlexWindow, and intelligent Galaxy AI features for effortless interaction on the go. Powered by Samsung’s latest AI experiences, the new devices redefine how users create, communicate, and stay productive.
The availability of the new Galaxy Z Fold8 series on Konga further reinforces the long-standing partnership between Samsung and Konga, built on trust, authenticity, and a shared commitment to delivering genuine technology to Nigerian consumers. Through Samsung’s official store on Konga, customers are assured of authentic products, reliable after-sales support, and a seamless shopping experience.
The pre-order offer is available for a limited period. To be one of those who get to experience the new device, tech enthusiasts are encouraged to visit Konga’s Samsung Official Store to reserve their preferred Galaxy Z Fold8 or Z Flip8 device and qualify for exclusive Samsung gifts worth up to ₦1 million, while stocks last.
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