Telecom
Challenges of Last mile Infrastructure in Service Delivery
One of the major obstacles to Telecommunications service delivery in the country is absence of last mile infrastructure required to deliver services to consumers of these services at their respective homes and offices.
Last mile infrastructure is that transmission infrastructure telecommunications operators used to deliver services to potential subscribers at their domains. Basically, infrastructure required in this regard includes optic fibre and microwave.
The need for effective transmission infrastructure especially fibre optic which is seen as being reliable become necessary in view of developments in the industry, which is geared towards improving quality of service as well as reduces cost of services to operators and subscribers. For instance, operators have before now relied heavily on satellite communications for their bandwidth requirement as against undersea cable because of unreliability of Sat-3 which then was the only in its category, but, now there are several alternative especially in the undersea cable, where we have Glo 1 and MainOne cable and awaited West Africa Cable System (WACS). The coming of these two telecommunications infrastructure has to a great deal drive down cost of bandwidth. Nigeria CommunicationsWeek investigation revealed that one mega byte per second bandwidth sold for $800 now goes for as low as $300 which is more than 100% reduction. This reduction can only be enjoyed by subscribers of telecommunications services if the needed infrastructure to deliver services to end users are available, in this case last mile fibre optics. But it is not readily available. Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that all undersea cable infrastructure lands at the shores of Lagos and need to extend to different operators’ network switches and to transport this infrastructure from Lagos Island to Mainland area of Lagos will cost an operator $600 per one mega byte if it is to lease fibre optic from another operator that has it.
More so, the absence of this facility forced them to largely adopt microwave and satellite technology, few years ago, over 80 percent of telephone access in the country was rendered through satellite technology. Experts have noted that quality of service delivered using microwave technology is often times affected by atmospheric condition, making the technology not suitable for reliable service delivery compared to fibre optic cable also known as terrestrial infrastructure. But today, this scenario is fast changing as operators are now deploying fibre optic transmission network to improve on their service quality. But more work is still needed in this regard.
A fibre optic cable is made from a 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.
Currently, the growth and potential earning accruable from telecommunications 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 multiplier effect on the economy, and international trade between us and other countries of the world.
However, it is encouraging to note that despite the rapid growth of telecommunications in the country, there is still a great opportunity for further growth and even development, as Nigeria being the most populous country in Africa, has an estimated addressable telecommunications market of 100 million subscribers presently. In view of the country’s landscape, she remains major market for long distance network operators due to increasing demand for multi-service, such as voice, data, video as well as rural telephony access.
Experience has shown that in order for predominantly mobile operators to improve on their quality of service, as well as capture multi-service segment of the market, they must invest in fibre optic backbone.
Efforts in this regard
The absence of terrestrial infrastructure in the telecommunication industry is being felt in all service deliveries. 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 broadband internet service cannot be realized without a fibre optic infrastructure, its absence is responsible for the narrow band services rendered by operators in the sector.
It is against this backdrop that telecommunications giant; Globacom initiated its fibre optic ring project across the country. So far, it has completed Abuja to Kano, Minna, Enugu, Owerri, Uyo among others even as works on the last link between Lagos and Benin has reached advance stage.
Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (Nitel) has fibre optic ring that is not being used probably because of the monopolistic tendencies of the moribund company, which resulted in the federal government parastatal’s refusal to lease out the infrastructure to GSM operators that requested for it during their early roll out plan.
This however led to them embarking on similar project. MTN in order to meet the growing high-capacity transport and connectivity needs of the industry has almost completed a world-class quality Metropolitan Area Fibre Networks in Ibadan, Kano, Warri, and Aba. When completed, it will support anticipated voice, data and video growth in these cities by providing superior transmission capacity, reliability, robustness and quality service. This is in addition to 3,885km of fibre optic backbone networks popularly referred to as ‘Blaze’ network. Blaze was implemented in four phases, namely: Phases 1 and 2 southern and eastern rings with a total of 2,422km. Phase 3, Northern ring with a total span of 1,116km, Phase 4 Niger Delta with a total span of 347km. MTN is leveraging on this infrastructure to provide connectivity of some commercial banks as well as Central Bank of Nigeria.
Zain is not left out in this effort to improve service through effective transmission infrastructure of fibre optic. The company having taken delivery of its first fibre optic project 4,000km from Nokia Siemans has awarded another contract to the same company for the expansion of its existing 4,000km nationwide fiber backbone network by a further 6,000km.
Zain Nigeria, explained that the aim of the project is to create wide capacity for Nigeria’s growing number of customers demanding high quality broadband services by deploying self owned fiber.
Zain awarded the original project in November 2007, but Nokia Siemens Networks speed up the project’s preliminary deadline of June 2009, and completed Phase 1 of the project by end February. This phase 2 of the project has been completed.
In essence, Nigeria will begin to witness emergence of an improved and unlimited telecom services, massive expansion of networks and benefits or their existing market goodwill, and a significant increase in the demand for multi-service.
The market will begin to offer bundled services, as costs come down. The competition between wireless and wired line services would begin to grow.
Impact
Gbenga Adebayo, chief executive officer, Communications Network support service, said that aside improved transmission of voice call, data and video occasion by the expansion of fibre optic by telcos, there will be emergence of wired services. He said wired line services offer multi-service at very affordable rate without compromise on quality. According to him, the fixed nature of the service of wired line, provide for a long tern relationship between operators of the service and their customer. He said that, market research has shown that in the urban areas, a large number of residential customers have a higher retention of their fixed lines with better quality than mobile services.
Deolu Ogunbanjo, president of National Association of Telecommunications subscribers of Nigeria (Natcomms) said that transmission of telecommunication services via microwave contributes to poor quality of service being experienced by subscribers of telecom services, and that with a shift to more effective transmission by fibre optic backbone, Nigeria subscribers will begin to witness unmatched service delivery especially in video, and data service.
It is a known fact that challenges for wired network operators in the country range from the difficulty in infrastructure deployment, right of way approval processes, and unwillingness of operators to co-share ducts among others. But as these are gradually being addressed through the growing of national fibre optic transmission backbone, Nigerians are expecting the emergence of wired line services as telecommunications development is moving to the next level of value added which ultimately required bandwidth.
News
NITDA Communications Director Hadiza Umar Named in 2026 PR Power List, Graces Glazia Magazine Cover
Mrs. Hadiza Umar, Director of the Corporate Communications and Media Relations Department at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has been officially recognised as one of Nigeria’s top public relations professionals in the prestigious 2026 PR Power List.
The definitive annual list, compiled by GLG Communications in partnership with The Guardian, was unveiled to commemorate World PR Day.
It celebrates 50 outstanding professionals within Nigeria and the diaspora whose strategic communication strategies have significantly shaped organisations, influenced public discourse, and advanced the profession over the past 12 months.
Adding to the momentous milestone, Mrs. Umar was hit with a major surprise at the exclusive PR Power List Soirée and Awards ceremony held at the Alliance Française in Ikoyi, Lagos, where she was unveiled as a front-cover personality for the Glazia Magazine PR Power List Special Issue.
The double recognition highlights her exceptional distinction and impact in public sector communications and narrative management.
Speaking on the dual achievement, Mrs. Umar expressed profound gratitude for the honours, describing the magazine cover appearance as a breathtaking surprise.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be recognized on the 2026 PR Power List and to feature on the cover of Glazia Magazine alongside other exceptional industry titans,” Umar said.
“This milestone is a testament to the enabling environment and visionary leadership of the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, which has allowed us to strategically drive the narrative of Nigeria’s digital economy and technological innovation.”
Mrs. Umar, a highly respected corporate communications strategist, holds professional fellowships in the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (Chartered), the African Public Relations Association (APRA), and the Institute of Corporate Administration (CICA).
Under her supervisory role, NITDA’s media relations have consistently projected national information technology frameworks, start-up support frameworks, and digital literacy initiatives, to position Nigeria competitively on the global stage.
The 2026 PR Power List selection process involved a rigorous, independent evaluation led by a distinguished international jury.
The organisers noted that the class of 2026 represents professionals raising the standard of strategic communications and introducing new ideas to the industry.
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
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