Telecom
NCC Backs Bayelsa’s Drive to Boost Digital Infrastructure
In keeping with its renowned tradition and belief in strategic partnership and collaboration, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the Bayelsa State Government in accelerating telecommunications infrastructure deployment, digital literacy and skills in the State.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, reiterated this commitment during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Bayelsa State to the Management of NCC in Abuja recently.
Stating the purpose of the visit to the Commission, Bayelsa State’s Commissioner for Communications, Science and Technology, Dr. Promise Ekio Ekio, who led the delegation, said Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is one of the critical areas that the state government has identified for priority to accelerate the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the State in order to bolster employment for the youths of the state and to nudge their interest in digital culture.
Ekio said that while the plan to leverage ICT for socio-economic development of Bayelsa State has been uppermost in the agenda of the state government, several engagements made by the State government with industry stakeholders are yet to receive concrete action, apparent due to lack of robust telecommunications services in the State.
“Therefore, it is our fervent hope that this meeting will be the beginning of a partnership that will blossom in the areas of digital training and rapid ICT infrastructural development, for the benefit of the people of Bayelsa State and other Nigerians living in the State.
“We want to assure the Commission of our preparedness to work closely with it to fulfill its mandate in the State as well as actualise the vision of Bayelsa State government to leverage ICT for accelerating development,” Ekio said.
Also, the Bayelsa State Commissioner Communication, Science and Technology, commended the NCC for the good works it is doing in fast-tracking implementation of the digital economy initiatives of the Federal Government by being upbeat in consolidating the gains of the telecommunications sector.
The Commissioner promise that Bayelsa State will also provide necessary incentives to accelerate ICT deployment in the State.
Responding to his guests, Danbatta, who was represented during the meeting by NCC’s Director, Digital Economy, Dr. Augustine Nwaulune, commended Bayelsa State Government for seeking collaboration with NCC to stimulate economic growth through telecommunication services and assured that NCC is a ready and willing partner of Bayelsa State on telecoms and ICT.
While the Commission is willing to partner with state governments and other relevant institutions to ensure universal access and universal services, Danbatta said efforts shall be made collaboratively to ensure that relevant infrastructure needed to delivering ubiquitous telecom services to achieve Bayelsa’s socio-economic goal are prioritized.
Danbatta emphasized the Commission’s recognition of the importance of infrastructure expansion in achieving Federal Government’s vision on digital economy.
Citing the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025 as one of the initiatives of the Federal Government instituted to bolster infrastructure expansion, Danbatta stated that the implementation of the Plan is essentially driven by NCC.
He promised that NCC will ensure that infrastructure gaps in the telecommunications sector are bridged to accomplish Government’s vision in the context of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-30.
Explicating further, Danbatta stated that, to accelerate broadband infrastructure deployment in the South-South geo-political zone where Bayelsa State is situated, the NCC had licensed Messrs Raeaana Limited, as one of the seven licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos), authorised to cascade fibre to deepen the penetration of broadband services in all nooks and crannies of the country.
“The InfraCo licensees have been given timelines to work in their respective zones of deployment to cascade fibre infrastructure to the rural communities, covering the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) to enhance robust telecom service provisioning in the country”, the EVC stated.
Meanwhile, Danbatta has urged the Bayelsa State Government to revisit the Right of Way (RoW) charges imposed by the State and other issues capable of encumbering faster deployment of infrastructure in the State.
“This will boost digital infrastructure rollout in towns and communities in Bayelsa State and environs for effective economic diversification.
“The digital economy rides on broadband and ICT infrastructure and one of the factors inhibiting access to telecommunication infrastructure is RoW administration by States and other state actors” he said.
Danbatta also emphasised the importance of comprehensive training for the youth in Bayelsa State and equipping them with ICT tools to enable them to thrive in a digital economy.
“On this, the NCC will collaborate with Bayelsa to provide training for the youth as long as the State Government provide necessary tools required to achieve objective outcomes of such capacity building initiatives”, he said.
MTN Nigeria has announced the temporary suspension of its airtime and data advance service, Xtratime, following new regulatory requirements introduced by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
The telecom giant disclosed the development in a filing to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Thursday, stating that the move is necessary to comply with the FCCPC’s Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025.
Xtratime, widely used by prepaid subscribers, allows customers to borrow airtime or data and repay on their next recharge.
In the disclosure signed by Uto Ukpanah, company secretary, the firm confirmed the halt, noting, “MTN Nigeria Communications PLC hereby notifies the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investing public that the company has temporarily suspended its airtime and data credit advance service (‘Xtratime’).”
The company explained that the service now falls within the scope of the FCCPC’s expanded regulatory framework, which mandates fresh licensing and stricter compliance procedures for digital credit providers.
“The suspension relates to the implementation of processes under the Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025, which introduced a new compliance and licensing framework for entities providing digital or non-traditional consumer credit services,” the statement added.
Despite the suspension, MTN reassured subscribers that alternative channels for purchasing airtime and data remain fully operational. It also downplayed the financial impact of the move.
“Given the scale within the revenue mix, we do not expect the temporary suspension to have a material impact,” the company said, adding that it is closely monitoring customer behaviour and will provide further updates in its first-quarter 2026 results.
The FCCPC’s 2025 regulations significantly broaden oversight of Nigeria’s digital lending ecosystem, bringing telecom operators and other providers of short-term credit services under stricter scrutiny. Companies offering such services are now required to register and obtain regulatory approval to continue operations.
The Commission had initially introduced a framework for digital lending in 2022, but expanded it in 2025 amid rising concerns over consumer debt, data privacy and lending practices.
Nokia and Orange are co-developing new strategies to maximise spectral efficiency across existing and future mobile bands, including the upper 6 GHz range, as networks transition toward 6G.
This follows an announcement of a partnership with NVIDIA to develop and evaluate Artificial Intelligence Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) technologies.
The initiative will combine the anyRAN 5G software of Nokia with the AI infrastructure of NVIDIA to improve network performance and energy efficiency.
The collaboration aims to transform service delivery for Orange across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, says Nokia.
Under a new structured co-innovation framework, the partners will explore how GPU-based radio processors can boost performance via advanced receivers.
The goal is to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) directly into the RAN to automate environments, support sensing services and drive resource utilisation.
“By collaborating with Nokia and NVIDIA, we can better understand how the AI-native architecture enabled by AI-RAN can improve the efficiency of key radio algorithms such as scheduling, beamforming, and power optimisation — enhancing both spectral efficiency and energy performance, while also enabling advanced capabilities like predictive optimisation and radio sensing. This collaboration is an important step in our long-term network strategy,” says Laurent Leboucher, group chief technology officer at Orange.
Pallavi Mahajan, chief technology and AI officer at Nokia, comments: “AI is reshaping how networks are designed, introducing new levels of intelligence and flexibility across the radio layer.
“Through this collaboration with Orange, we are exploring how Nokia and NVIDIA’s AI-RAN solution brings advanced AI and RAN functions together in a unified architecture. This will be instrumental in enabling the industry’s transition toward cognitive, AI native networks.”
Orange is currently the fourth-largest telecoms operator in Africa with 18 markets on the continent. The partnership marks a significant attempt to leverage AI to accelerate digital transformation as the first wave of 6G approaches.
Zoho Nigeria partnered with Guardian Newspapers for the Guardian Woman Festival, a month-long initiative celebrating women’s contributions to business, governance, and social development while promoting digital empowerment for female entrepreneurs.
Kehinde Ogundare
Held at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, the festival focused on the theme “Reciprocity,” encouraging the exchange of value, networks, and digital innovation to strengthen women-led businesses and foster collaboration.
During the event, Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head of Zoho Nigeria, delivered a keynote address titled “Give Value, Gain Growth: Women Driving Reciprocal Innovation in the Digital Economy”. In his remarks, he highlighted the urgent need to bridge the digital gap for female entrepreneurs.
While Nigeria has the highest concentration of women-owned businesses in Africa, fewer than 30% currently use digital tools to manage or grow their operations. Ogundare noted that technology does not replace the strengths women already bring to business, such as relationship building and community engagement. Instead, it amplifies them, enabling entrepreneurs to reach wider audiences and scale more efficiently.
“The difference is not talent. Not capital. Not ambition. It is digital adoption,” said Ogundare during his keynote. “Smart tools create smart businesses. Smart businesses create strong economies. When women entrepreneurs and leaders have access to the right tools, the possibilities for growth are limitless.”
Zubaida Aliyu, Sales Manager at Zoho Nigeria, also brought her expertise to the festival’s panel session on ‘Women in the Business of Digital Innovation’. She highlighted how women are uniquely positioned to create shared value in digital spaces by building platforms that encourage knowledge sharing, mentorship, and collaboration.
Aliyu also challenged organisations that continue to view women’s digital inclusion primarily as corporate social responsibility rather than a strategic business priority.
“Tech creates a level playing field,” she said, noting that digital platforms remove limitations related to location and infrastructure size. Addressing organisations that overlook the economic value of inclusive digital strategies, she added, “They are leaving money on the table — they need to think of it as a strategy not charity”.
Through its participation in the Guardian Woman Festival, Zoho reaffirmed its commitment to providing affordable and accessible enterprise-grade technology to businesses of all sizes. By helping women transition from manual effort to digital efficiency, Zoho aims to support entrepreneurs build scalable enterprises and ensure their sustained success in Africa’s digital economy.
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