Telecom
Increasing Internet Access through Sabi, Win Initiatives
Internet service delivery in the country has been a nightmare ranging from low speed and high cost of the service.
Apart from Internet access service offered by many of the ISPs in Nigeria to the general populace, telecommunications operators also provide data services.
There are issues associated with performance which cuts across the spectrum of various Internet connectivity solution providers in the country.
GSM networks:
All the four GSM networks offer Internet access solutions using GPRS, EDGE and/or 3G (3.5G), although, their Internet services are not at its best in terms of speed.
CDMA networks:
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators are doing much in this regard, with most of them rolling out wireless broadband service, however, there are some challenges with the speed.
Against this backdrop that NCC is planning a forum to address the various bottle-necks in operators bid to offer high speed internet service to their subscribers.
Determined to improve on the current low Internet penetration in the country, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) on July 11, 2006 said it was poised to scale the hurdles to speed up the development of Internet through some new initiatives, deploying emerging information and knowledge technologies.
NCC to the rescue
These initiatives include the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI), Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as well as Wire Nigeria project.
Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) explained that the major reasons for the slow development of Internet services in the country were the high cost of bandwidth, computers and Internet infrastructure as well as unreliable power supply. He however assured that the NCC would remain focused on its programme of enthroning an information society where every citizen enjoys the full benefits of the global information superhighway.
SABI, Ndukwe said, has been designed to encourage the private sector to build and run a broadband infrastructure with government support and incentive in all state capitals and selected major commercial cities in the country. The project which is nearer to completion will drive Broadband to home (B2H) at an affordable cost.
The SABI project entails the provision of wireless broadband services in Nigerian cities; stimulation of demand for Internet services and increase in usage; and stimulation and acceleration of opportunities in e-education, e-commerce, e-governance, and all electronic related services.
It is believed that National e-government strategy (Negst) is going to leverage on the Sabi in the deployment solution that will facilitate the take off of e-government in the country, especially its recently launched electronic Local Government Administration (eLGA).
The WiN project is intended to provide massive fibre transmission facilities to most areas of Nigeria. The project when fully implemented will ensure that all Nigerians will be only a maximum of 50 km from a fibre network access point wherever they live.
The first phase will connect all State capitals to the fibre network; thereafter all Local Government headquarters will be connected. In the final phase, it is intended that all Nigerians will be within 50 km of a fibre network.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) announced at the end of the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that Sabi will deliver broadband services in all of the country’s states by the end of 2009. The NCC hopes that the rollout will help to drive economic recovery. The GSM Association (GSMA), the worldwide group of GSM operators, in report said that ICT investments, especially in broadband services, could help take countries out of the economic crisis.
‘The idea and purpose is to serve the areas that are unserved and improve on the areas that have been served partially. We want to stabilize the environment and create incentives that will improve manpower skills that will lead to economic growth,’ said chief regulator of the NCC, Ernest Ndukwe. The first phase of the project will cover the 36 state capitals, followed by expansion to council headquarters and other towns and cities in the local regions.
Three unnamed companies have been approached for the deployment, out of a total of 50 that applied to run and manage the subsidized programme.
He said the subject of broadband being discussed at the conference was timely and crucial to the commission; even as the nation celebrated seven years of massive growth in voice telephony, as broadband was the next frontier that needed to be conquered.
Ndukwe said it was because of the importance placed on extending broadband services to all parts of the country that the commission initiated the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative, which would cover all the 36 state capitals and many of the urban and semi urban centres.
“The rationale behind the Sabi project is to provide wireless broadband services in Nigerian cities so as to stimulate demand for Internet services and increase usage, and most importantly, this project is to drive broadband to homes at affordable levels,” he said.
The NCC boss said that the Wire Nigeria Project being facilitated by the commission to ensure provision of optic fibre cable backbone infrastructure across the country, would also compliment the Sabi.
“The idea behind the WIN project is to provide a national backbone infrastructure,” he said.
"We have also given frequencies to those companies to enable them go round and do it copiously. So, by the end of the year, you will see a lot of broadband infrastructure rolled out across the country with good enough speed to make us happy. In the next few weeks, we shall be holding a forum to discuss how the speed of broadband is improved in our country. Many people are not happy with the current speed and there are bottlenecks and others and the forum is to seek a solution." I must say I have read it in the newspapers like anybody because there is no single company that has approached NCC for tariff increase, he said.
Ndukwe also disclosed that the commission had freely offered information and communication technology appreciation training to over 4,000 professors and lecturers from tertiary institutions across the country through the Digital Bridge Institute, which was established by the commission.
He said the training was offered to the lecturers under the Digital Appreciation Programme for Tertiary-designed to equip the lecturers with the basic computer skills and Internet application to ensure they were equipped to use the facilities to teach and encourage their students.
Airtel Nigeria has restated its commitment to transparency, customer safety, and regulatory collaboration following recent regulatory enforcement by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The NCC had served Airtel Nigeria a notice of sanction over some alleged SIM infractions in Kano State and consequently slammed a fine of N104 million on the telecommunications firm.
NCC had in a letter, addressed to Airtel Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, dated May 26, 2025, signed by Chizua Whyte, head, Legal and Regulatory Services, and Mohammed Dari, acting head, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, on behalf of Dr Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, NCC, titled: ‘Notice of Sanction: Non-Compliance with SIM Registration Directive in Kano,’ where the infractions were spelt out.
According to NCC, Airtel infractions include unauthorised SIM registrations using 198 unapproved devices, resulting in 8,275 registrations outside the 281 verified Airtel shops; premature activation of 63 MSISDNs prior to proper SIM registration, contrary to the provisions of the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations 2022; failure to conduct effective eyeballing, leading to 407 fraudulent SIM registrations with multiple NINs, contrary to the provision of the Registration of Communications Subscribers Regulations 2022 and failure to provide satisfactory explanation for SIM registrations conducted between 12.00 a.m and 6.00 a.m.
On the matter, the letter revealed that there were some letter exchanges and subsequent meetings on the infractions between the telecom regulator and Airtel, starting from January 12, 2025, March 19, 2025, March 24, 2025, and March 27, 2025, respectively.
Apparently, after investigations and responses from Airtel, the NCC was not satisfied and this led to the fine of N104 million, which was to be paid within seven days from the date the letter was issued.
Specifically, NCC fined Airtel N5 million, N12 million, N81.4 million and N5 million for the infractions respectively.
Reacting, Airtel, expressed appreciation to the NCC for uncovering the infractions, describing the development as a critical opportunity to strengthen internal processes and further align with national security and regulatory expectations
“We thank the NCC for its vigilance and continued support in protecting the integrity of the telecoms ecosystem. Airtel takes these findings seriously and is already implementing corrective measures,” a spokesperson for the company said.
Only recently, Airtel Nigeria’s CEO recently announced that the company is doubling its investment in the country, focusing on network expansion, fiber-to-the-street rollout, 4G/5G deployment, customer care upgrades, and digital infrastructure security.
These investments reinforce Airtel’s long-term vision of building a resilient and forward-looking telecom network that meets the evolving needs of Nigerians.
“Our systems are constantly evolving to stay ahead of scammers and malicious actors,” the spokesperson added. “This is not just about compliance; it’s about our responsibility to the millions of Nigerians who rely on Airtel daily.”
Airtel Nigeria says it will continue to work closely with the NCC and other arms of government to ensure high standards of service and safety for all telecom users nationwide.
Kenya is celebrating its regulatory ecosystem being ranked as the most progressive in Africa. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has ranked the East African country first in its most recent ICT Regulatory Tracker.
ITU’s ICT Regulatory Tracker is an evidence-gathering tool for decision-makers and regulators. It demonstrates the effectiveness of regulatory systems in the age of technology.
The ITU evaluates the design of the national regulatory authority, the scope of the regulatory mandate, the obtaining regulatory environment, and the robustness of the competition framework in member countries.
Kenya received 93 points, up from 92 in 2023, and now leads the continent in best practices for ICT regulations.
Nigeria and South Africa finished second and third, with 92 and 88 points respectively. Malawi, Egypt, Rwanda, Morocco, Uganda, Burkina Faso, and Senegal complete the top 10 list.
Globally, Kenya was ranked 20th out of 194 countries covered.Italy led the rankings, with 100 points.
The regulator, Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya, said the achievement underscored Kenya’s commitment to creating a robust, technology-neutral regulatory environment that supports innovation, affordability and access.
Steve Isaboke, permanent secretary for broadcasting and telecommunications, visited CA Centre in Nairobi following the announcement on Thursday.
“The ranking is a clear testament of the excellent work that CA has done in spearheading Kenya’s digital transformation and driving digital access for all,” he said.
“After 25 years, CA’s regulatory regime has attained maturity, and gained global recognition. This ranking shows that the CA staff and leadership are executing their work diligently.”
MTN Nigeria Communications PLC has announced a significant increase in female representation within its leadership, with women now making up 41.4% of its workforce, a notable rise from 38.7% in 2023.
This figure reportedly doubles the industry average, positioning MTN Nigeria as a frontrunner in gender diversity within Nigeria’s ICT sector.
The company’s recently released 2024 Annual Report highlights its sustained commitment to workplace inclusion and gender equality, aligning with its “Ambition 2025” strategy. Female representation within the executive management team has reached approximately 46.7%.
MTN Nigeria attributes this progress to dedicated initiatives aimed at empowering women professionally. These include the “Women in Tech” programme, which provides targeted upskilling in high-demand fields such as Cloud Computing, Software Engineering, AI/ML, Data Science, and Cyber Security.
The “MTN Y’ello Mums Internship Programme” also supports young mothers in their transition back into the corporate world after career breaks.
Odunayo Sanya, executive director of the MTN Foundation, was recognised as the CSI Personality of the Year at the Nigeria Tech Innovation & Telecoms Awards (NTITA), further underscoring the company’s impactful social initiatives.
Additionally, Uto Ukpanah, the company secretary, received the inaugural Global Corporate Secretary of the Year Award from the Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA).
Speaking at a recent conference, Odunayo Sanya, emphasised the importance of balancing profitability and sustainability equation, saying, “Businesses today need to be purpose-driven. While the soul of business is profitability, it is not profitability alone that should matter to stakeholders.”
Uto Ukpanah, added, “Showcasing our corporate values and ethos to the world opens the door for greater collaboration with other organisations, as we believe there’s a lot to learn when we all come together. Governance continues to evolve. The challenges today are not the same as they were 10 years ago. Greater accountability is expected, and companies can only continue to do better.”
The company’s broader efforts in diversity and inclusion have been acknowledged with multiple accolades, including the Corporate Responsibility Award. MTN Nigeria also received the “Employer of the Year” award at the 4th Edition of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) Employers’ Excellence Awards.
Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, in the report, reiterated the company’s commitment to building a purpose-driven organisation, emphasising that its success is intrinsically linked to its people and their dedication to a shared vision.
“Since we initiated our culture transformation journey in 2021, our culture transformation has significantly enhanced employee engagement and organisational cohesion. It’s directly strengthened our ability to deliver outstanding business performance and drive sustainable long-term value for all our stakeholders.”
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