Telecom
Ndukwe Provides Insights into MTN’s Dominance Of Nigeria’s Telecoms Space
Dr Ernest Ndukwe, Erstwhile Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been speaking on why the foremost telecommunications services provider, MTN, has continued to dominate the Nigerian telecom space like a colossus.
Ndukwe, who spoke as a guest at the Virtual Digital Africa VIP Leadership Series on Tuesday, organized by Digital Africa Group, organisers of the annual Digital Africa Conference & Exhibitions noted that three factors: good finance, good management and discipline in terms of managing resources, separate MTN from the rest of the pack.
“I think it is important to say that MTN is a particularly disciplined company right from its roots; it has always been a well-run organization. It has not had the board squabbles associated with some of its competitions. The first board of MTN, some of them just retired last year. Meanwhile, one of their competitions has had various owners, various quarrels, and various issues,” he said.
Ndukwe, who is the Chairman of MTN Nigeria Board, said that nobody can be blamed for this position as the way organisations manage their affairs translates to the kind of position they occupy in the business environment.
“One thing that people don’t know also is that for the first five years of existence of MTN in Nigeria, it did not pay dividends to its shareholders. They recognized the importance of scale and were pumping in all the earnings, all the profits into building networks. They started building their own microwave links, they started building their own fibre optic links all across the country. It is all a matter of foresight and planning ahead.”
On the question of what local companies could do to be able to play effectively in the telecommunications sector, he said, “Let it be said that technology always changes and the best company today might not be the best company tomorrow. A few years ago, Facebook was not on the reckoning but today, it is a much bigger company.
“People might not make it in terms of new entrants in the area of telecommunications service delivery. This is because in most countries, there is a maximum number of operating companies that can profitably play in the market, after which the market gets saturated. There are definitely opportunities in the technology space; all that is needed is for operators to discover them and leverage.”
He mentioned Zinox Technologies as one other Nigerian technology company that has leveraged on the opportunities in the ICT industry to turn itself to one of the biggest ICT companies in the country that is well run and managed.
According to Ndukwe, “Zinox Technologies is another company that is well run; it is a company that is making a big mark in the country quietly and remains one of the biggest IT companies in the country today without anybody recognizing it. You may not be the biggest telecommunications provider but you can be the best in some other areas; you can be the next Facebook in Africa.
“When Zoom started, no person knew it was going to scale to the level it has now reached; thanks to Coronavirus pandemic. People should continue to look for opportunities and niche markets and go there because that’s where they can scale. There are many companies that are doing very well in the financial technology space in the country too.”
On 5G deployment in Nigeria, the MTN Board Chair stated that the network would require a lot of base stations, as well as large scale fibre deployment, adding that the role of policy makers and regulators is critical to timely deployment of 5G.
He expressed delight that some State governments in Nigeria have started clearing the huddles to seamless deployment of the technology in Nigeria.
“That’s why I am particularly excited and would like to commend the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy for his foresight with the Minister of Works and Housing who came out with this bright idea that they will give 2-year moratorium on Right of Way charges on Federal Highways in Nigeria, in order to encourage optic fibre rollout and installation.
“5G is a high speed network and countries have been struggling to have first mover advantages in order to benefit from the advantages that 5G will bring about. I think that if Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana decide that they want to be forerunners in this 5G business, then the regulatory environment must be such that it will be possible to earn those advantages early enough. The regulator in Nigeria, the NCC, is very committed to facilitating early deployment of 5G.
“I am happy that many states in our country have improved in their welcoming of ICT companies in their domains. In fact, as far back as when I was EVC, I came out with a slang- “Fibre without Borders”. I was actually dreaming of an Africa linked with fibre optic cable across countries. If that had happened, we would have been at the same level with some of the most developed countries of the world as far as harnessing the benefits of ICT is concerned,” Ndukwe said.
L-R – Engr. Aliyu Yusuf Aboki , Executive Secretary WATRA; Mrs Nneena Ukoa, Head Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission; Hon. Clarence K. Massaquoi, Chairman Board of Commissioners, Liberia Telecommunications Authority; Kelechi Nwankwo, Director Corporate planning, strategy and Risk Management(NCC); Hon. Ben Fofana, Commissioner with oversight responsibility for Licensing and Regulation (LTA); Usman Mamman Director, Licensing & Authorization (NCC) during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja on 30th January, 2026.
Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has paid a courtesy visit to the the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abuja, reinforcing growing cooperation on digital development.
NITDA
Dr. Zavazava was accompanied by the ITU Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Emmanuel Manasseh, as part of the ITU delegation.
The delegation was received on behalf of the Director General of NITDA by the Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy, Dr. Warowei Dimie, alongside other directors of the Agency.
The visit provided a platform for strategic engagement and exchange of ideas on key digital development challenges facing Nigeria, Africa, and other developing regions, with a shared focus on inclusive and sustainable ICT growth.
Speaking on behalf of the NITDA Director General, Dr. Dimie reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to deepening collaboration with ITU, describing the organisation’s global experience as a valuable asset for transferring tested solutions and best practices to Nigeria’s local context.
He noted that digital skills and capacity building featured prominently in the discussions, as Nigeria pursues its ambitious target of achieving 70 percent digital literacy nationwide by next year, with encouraging progress recorded through partnerships with the private sector and other stakeholders.
The adoption of Nigeria’s National Digital Literacy Framework was highlighted as a major milestone, providing a structured and inclusive approach to skills development across different segments of society.
Attention was also drawn to the persistent challenge of limited connectivity in rural and underserved communities, with participants emphasising targeted interventions such as grassroots digital training and the deployment of National Youth Service Corps members as digital literacy ambassadors.
In his remarks, Dr. Zavazava outlined ITU-BDT’s mandate to bridge the digital divide, promote inclusive ICT development, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and support member states in building resilient digital infrastructure.
He noted that these priorities strongly align with Nigeria’s digital transformation aspirations, adding that ITU works across its 194 member states through regional and area offices, including its West Africa office in Dakar, Senegal, and the Africa regional office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Dr. Zavazava further highlighted ongoing collaboration with Nigeria on initiatives such as digital skills development, broadband infrastructure mapping, and cybersecurity.
He disclosed that Nigeria is among 11 sub-Saharan African countries benefiting from a €15 million ITU-European Commission project on broadband infrastructure mapping and modelling, while also participating in global cybersecurity drills organised by ITU in partnership with the United Arab Emirates, which attracted over 136 countries in the last edition.
The courtesy visit underscored the importance of sustained collaboration between international development institutions and national agencies, reaffirming the shared commitment of ITU and NITDA to leveraging ICTs for sustainable development, innovation, and inclusive socio-economic growth in Nigeria.
Telecom
Airtel Nigeria Commits to Upgrade of its Network Infrastructure for Improved Quality of Service
Airtel Nigeria has unveiled a robust update on a range of network, infrastructure and technology advancements that position the company at the forefront of quality of service leadership in Nigeria’s telecommunications industry.
Announced at its first media roundtable of 2026, the updates reflect sustained investments made over the past 12 to 24 months and signal an accelerated push to stay ahead of surging data demand in a rapidly digitising economy.
Speaking to senior editors and industry correspondents, Airtel Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Dinesh Balsingh, said the company’s strategy is anchored on deliberate scale, depth and resilience.
“Over the last two years, we have invested with discipline and clarity to strengthen our network nationwide. Those investments are now translating into measurable improvements in performance, customer experience and reach, including in underserved and hard to reach communities,” he said. “In 2026, we are accelerating these upgrades because Nigeria’s data appetite is growing, and leadership in this industry will belong to those who plan ahead.”
At the core of Airtel Nigeria’s quality of service drive is the rapid expansion of its network footprint. Since December 2023, the company has increased the number of network sites by 15.5%, adding 2,242 new sites and bringing its total to nearly 16,711 nationwide. Further deployments are planned in 2026 to strengthen coverage, capacity and resilience across urban and rural locations.
Network capacity upgrades have also reached significant scale. In 2025, Airtel completed capacity enhancements on 30% of its sites, covering over 5032 sites nationwide.
Today, 99% of Airtel Nigeria’s sites deliver high-speed 4G mobile broadband, establishing the operator as a full nationwide 4G network. This year, capacity upgrades are being extended to more sites to sustain performance as data usage continues to rise.
According to Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon, Chief Technology Officer, spectrum depth and optimisation remain critical to network quality. “We have increased our 4G spectrum by 10MHz and we are actively optimising our holdings. These actions allow us to support higher data throughput, better speeds and more consistent service, especially in high-traffic areas,” he said.
Airtel Nigeria is also accelerating its 5G rollout. Over the last three months, the company has more than doubled the number of active 5G sites. The accelerated 5G upgrade happening now will connect the top 20 Nigerian cities to high-speed 5G networks, with a significant part of Airtel’s network in these cities becoming 5G-enabled in the coming year.
Beyond terrestrial infrastructure, Airtel is extending connectivity through space-based solutions. The company has established and signed partnerships with satellite providers OneWeb and Starlink, enabling enterprise-grade connectivity for businesses in remote locations, hard to reach areas and operational outposts. Recently, Airtel announced Nigeria’s first Direct-to-Cell partnership with Starlink, a breakthrough that will allow customers to remain connected while travelling through deep remote areas and enable small rural communities to access Airtel’s digital and fintech services.
The backbone supporting these services continues to expand. Airtel Nigeria has built an extensive fibre footprint across almost all states, developed through years of sustained deployment. Following the announcement to double capital expenditure last year, the company committed to expanding its fibre network by 25%, and intensive rollout activity is ongoing across cities and states. Airtel has also confirmed plans to extend its fibre footprint even further, both within major cities and between states.
A pivotal national milestone is also on the horizon. Nigeria currently relies on a single internet submarine cable landing and breakout point in Lagos. Airtel Nigeria has announced that it will launch a second internet breakout from the South of Nigeria, leveraging the 2Africa submarine cable. In partnership with 2Africa, Airtel will shortly begin carrying internet breakout traffic from Kwa Ibo in Akwa Ibom State.
“This will create a faster and alternative path for large parts of the North and South, improve resilience for the entire ecosystem. Airtel is proud to take the lead in making this happen,” Balsingh said.
Underpinning these advances is a robust IT and cloud backbone. Airtel Nigeria operates an enterprise-grade private cloud with thousands of virtual machines, managing massive storage and compute power across locations.
The infrastructure includes large GPU clusters, supporting AI-driven applications such as fraud detection, intelligent network self-healing and advanced customer analytics.
The company recently announced the upcoming launch of its hyperscaler-ready 38 megawatt data centre in Eko Atlantic. This is designed for Nigeria’s next phase of digital growth, powered by AI.
From a customer access perspective, Airtel Nigeria maintains one of the largest retail footprints in the country. Its products and services are available in over 200,000 outlets nationwide, supported by more than 4,000 exclusive shops across all local government areas and 250 flagship stores.
Balsing added that, “Quality of service today is about resilience, redundancy and intelligence, and that is what Airtel is delivering. From fibre to cloud to satellite-enabled connectivity, we are building a platform that allows Nigerian businesses to scale with confidence, regardless of location.”
He reaffirmed Airtel Nigeria’s long-term commitment to the country. “Our focus is consistent investment, disciplined execution and deep confidence in Nigeria’s future,” he said.
Aside from Singh Dhillon, other members of the Airtel Nigeria leadership on hand with subject matter expertise at the roundtable included Director, Airtel Business, Ogo Ofomata; Director, Marketing, Ismail Adeshina; Director, Information Technology, Kemi Ariyo; and Director, Corporate Communications and CSR, Femi Adeniran.
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