Telecom
Nigeria Losing 72% Internet Revenues to US- Report

By peter oluka
Majority of .ng and .com.ng websites in Nigeria are hosted in the United States, making Nigeria lose about 72 per cent of the revenue it should be generating through a local hosting of such websites, a new report has shown.
The report on the use of domain names in the national domain of Nigeria named, .ng was carried out this December by a web-hosting company, HUB8.
According to the report, out of the 34,000 sites, less than 1,000 are located in Nigeria, which is only 2.3 per cent of the total.
The country of origin for the remaining 3 per cent of sites could not be identified so Nigeria’s share is slightly larger, though still not comparable with the amount of hosting abroad.
“The dominant countries where site hosting often occurs were determined for the .NG and .COM.NG domains. The overwhelming number of sites are located in the United States (72 per cent),” translating into loss of 72 per cent hosting revenue for Nigeria, according to the report.
The .ng is Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), which is the country’s digital imprint on the World Wide Web (WWW).
This is coming just as the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), managers of the country’s domain names system (DNS) ecosystem, declared it has, so far, registered 100,973 domains in .ng domain zone as at November 30, 2017.
Meanwhile, HUB8 report was based on 89,165 domain names in the .ng domain zone, with particular focus on the details of the usage of .ng domains as it relates to website hosting.
The report, however, does not include data on premium domains (about 2,000) and some special domains that are technically registered though not used by end users.
On the distribution of the domain zones, the report reveals that most popular domain zone is .com.ng, having almost 70 per cent of all national domains registered.
The .ng domain zone, the report says, comes next although within the zone a domain name is shorter “but domain registration here costs several times more than in .com.ng while .org.ng, which is usually used by non-profit organisations, ranks third with an age backlog.
“The number of zones identified by the study include .com.ng; .ng; .org.ng; .gov.ng and .edu.ng with number of domains being 61,609 (69.1 per cent); 15,353 (17.2 per cent); 6,077 (6.8 per cent); 1,738 (1.9 per cent and 996 (1.1 per cent) respectively,” the report said.
Others such domain zones include .net.ng; .name.ng; .sch.ng; .i.ng; .mobi.ng and .mil.ng, all which have less than one per cent market share.
In terms of active websites, the HUB8 report notes that there are currently 38,864 websites in the .ng domain, not including the sites that fail to open to the connection timeout, redirects and the ones throwing an error (page is not found). “The existing sites are hosted only in half of the .com.ng and one-third of the .ng domains,” the report says.
According to the report, operating sites are reported on 45 per cent of .com.ng and .ng domains.
Also, 15 per cent of registered domains are said to be with errors indicating “connection time-out” presumably for some temporary problems regarding hosting or channels. About 3 per cent of domains are redirected to other sites and the same number displaying error pages such as “404 Page Not Found” or “500 Server Error.”
Commenting further on the findings of the report, Mr. Dmitry Deniskin, director for Emerging Markets at HUB8, said on the content management systems (CMS) of the .com.ng and .ng domains.
In the study, Deniskin said, “Often used Content Management System was detected in the existing websites, stating that the most popular CMS is expected to be WordPress, being installed on every one in three sites in the .ng and .com.ng domains.
“WordPress has a 78 per cent share of all used CMS. Blogging is currently very popular in Nigeria: almost 1, 500 domains are affiliated with Blogger.com.
“Specialised CMS utilized for e-commerce; such as Magento, Prestashop, Shopify, WooCommerce, nopCommerce, oSCommerce and X-Cart use about 500 sites in the .com.ng and .ng zones.”
Deniskin also explained that what HUB8 intends to do is to help Nigeria reverse the current situation in which 72 per cent of .com.ng and .ng domain names hosting is lost to the US.
He said: “HUB8 is a global web hosting company helping brands and individuals to easily set-up a website. Our ultimate goal is to become a Growth Partner for individuals and small enterprises in emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
“We are providing free web hosting in Nigeria because we are aware that people postpone launching a website due to the investments involved.
“We want to make it possible for all to have a personal or business website without worrying about the costs. We have created this report to promote the national domain of Nigeria .NG. Register your .NG domain on the HUB8 Nigeria website,” he urged.
HUB8 also created a page on their website dedicated to .NG domain – https://ng.hub8.com/ng-domain. There is a directory of all active .NG websites made up as a Nigerian flag. By clicking on the flag you will be redirected to the one of the active .ng websites so you can understand how the typical Nigerian website looks like.
Meanwhile, President of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Mr. Sunday Folayan, who has continuously rued the poor local content in the county’s DNS ecosystem, told our correspondent that the association would support any initiative and policies aimed at deepening local hosting of .ng domain names.
“Over the years, NIRA has made conscious efforts to populate and to continue to populate the country’s DNS system. It is our belief that increased adoption of .ng domain names by individuals, businesses and government agencies would help the country to reduce the capital flight being recorded with the preponderant use of foreign domain names such as .com, .net, .za, .ua, among others.
“We also need to encourage local hosting with the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) and similar organizations. With this we reduce cost of accessing the internet and curb revenue flight to foreign lands,” he added.
Telecom
Vitel Wireless Lures Subscribers with “Data that Never Expires” Campaign

Vitel Wireless, pioneer Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has launched an audacious “data that never expires” campaign designed to address consumer pain points in the market.

Kenneth Nwabueze, Chairman and CEO of Vitel Wireless
Fast-depleting data is a major issue for mobile users, particularly in Nigeria, with numerous complaints against network providers alleging that data plans exhaust prematurely.
But Vitel Wireless said it is now addressing the situation after extensive engagement with Nigerian consumers, particularly young people and small businesses.
Kenneth Neabueze, chairman of Vitel Wireless, said “What we’re saying to Nigerians is this, you buy the data, and you keep the data for as long as you want. There’s no more. You bought 2GB for two days, and it expires. If you buy that data under our scheme, it stays with you forever,” he said.
He added that the model promotes transparency and cost efficiency. “So it’s saving us money, it’s giving us transparency, and it’s giving us the ability to have control over how we spend and use our data,” he stated.
He noted that the concept was inspired by research into the everyday challenges Nigerians face.
“We talked to students who would tell us that in the middle of doing a project, they would be told that the data had expired, and we asked, ‘ How do we innovate?” We have analysed it, and we know, given the current economic conditions in Nigeria, you should buy the data with discounts of almost 40 per cent, and that’s why we are transparent”
The company has also unveiled a suite of products and services aimed at redefining connectivity, including its flagship Vitel Xphone.
The company explained that its services are available via both physical SIMs and eSIMs, with the 0712 number offering global use.
According to the firm, users can retain existing mobile numbers or migrate seamlessly, while enjoying nationwide coverage across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory with full GSM services including voice, SMS, USSD, and mobile data.
Chudi Nwabueze, chief operating officer of Vitel Wireless, described the firm as a technology telecom focused on innovation beyond traditional voice and data services.
“We’re coming in with a lot of innovation to activate applications and create tools that people can use in their businesses, homes, and daily lives,” he said.
He added that eSIM technology allows users to operate multiple lines on compatible devices, while introducing a range of digital solutions aimed at enhancing communication, safety, and business operations, anchored by its flagship Xphone.
Hence, the platform combines GSM and VoIP technologies to deliver seamless voice, video, and messaging services, along with cost-saving benefits and nationwide connectivity.
It is complemented by the Oga App, which enables real-time staff monitoring, automated payroll, and performance tracking to improve organisational efficiency.
Similarly, the network also rolled out SecureMe and Asset Tracker to address security and asset management needs.
While SecureMe provides GPS tracking and emergency alerts for personal and workplace safety, Asset Tracker helps businesses monitor and manage physical assets in real time.
Vitel Wireless noted that on pricing, challenged consumers to compare daily data costs across operators, while adding that the network offers discounts for higher volumes without imposing expiry limits.
Also speaking, Chinenye Adebayo, relationship partnership manager, outlined opportunities for Nigerians to join the company’s distribution network by visiting the website and becoming a mobile agent or sun-agents in any state.
The company noted that its offerings, including Close User Group (CUG) services and high-speed wireless network, are designed to provide integrated digital solutions for individuals and enterprises, as it seeks to position itself as a disruptive force in Nigeria’s telecom sector.
Telecom
Nigeria, Ghana Trigger Stunning 45 Percent Surge in MTN Dividends

MTN Group delivered impressive financial and operational achievements for 2025, boosted by strong performances in MTN Nigeria and MTN Ghana, as well as solid earnings from MTN South Africa.

The three core markets of Africa’s largest mobile provider enhanced profitability, free cash flow, and shareholder dividends by 45%.
IT Web Africa reported that Ralph Mupita, group CEO and president, MTN, highlighted that the telecoms giant’s robust commercial momentum across key markets capped the final year of its Ambition 2025 strategy, while laying the foundation for a new long-term growth phase under Ambition 2030.
“The Group’s overall performance in 2025 was excellent. In the final year of our Ambition 2025 strategy, we were proud to have exceeded the 300 million customers milestone,” he said.
MTN revealed that it now serves more than 307 million voice subscribers, 172 million data users, and 70 million Mobile Money customers across 16 African markets, reflecting the continent’s growing demand for digital connectivity and financial services.
The operator credited its results to disciplined commercial execution and sustained investment in network infrastructure, with R38 billion spent during the year to expand capacity, improve coverage and enhance service quality.
The group reported that data traffic surged 27%, while average monthly data consumption per user climbed to 12.5GB, up from 10.8GB a year earlier, reflecting Africa’s fast-growing appetite for digital services.
Financially, the performance was driven by MTN’s largest markets.
In constant currency terms, MTN Nigeria grew service revenue by 54.9%, while MTN Ghana increased service revenue by 35.9%.
Meanwhile, MTN South Africa recorded 2% growth, demonstrating operational resilience in one of the continent’s most mature and competitive telecom markets.
MTN Group service revenue rose nearly a quarter to R218 billion, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation climbed to R98.5 billion, supported by R3.6 billion in expense efficiencies.
Mupita stressed that the strong results translated into robust free cash flow and improved return generation, allowing the board to declare a dividend of 500 cents per share, up from 345 cents the previous year.
“This comfortably exceeds the minimum dividend of 370 cents we had previously guided,” he said.
The group also announced a R6 billion share buyback programme as part of an enhanced shareholder remuneration framework aimed at delivering stronger long-term returns.
Alongside its results, MTN unveiled Ambition 2030, a strategy centred on three platforms, connectivity, fintech and digital infrastructure, as it seeks to capture the next wave of growth driven by data adoption and financial inclusion across Africa.
“We are hugely excited about Africa’s potential. We are well positioned to leverage our scale, footprint and brand leadership to capture the significant structural growth opportunities identified,” said Mupita.
Source: IT Web Africa
Telecom
ATCIS Urges FG to Ensure Safety of Consumers Data

Association of Telephone, Cable TV, and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) non-profit consumer rights group dedicated to protecting the rights, interests, and welfare of telecommunications subscribers, has urged the Federal Government to ensure safety of telecom consumers’ data hosted by government agencies.

Dr Sina Bilesanmi, president of the body stated this World Consumers Day in Lagos.
He alleged that said subscribers” data are being jeopardised by some of its agencies.
Bilesanmi urged government to ensure that every subscriber in Nigeria can use digital service without fear of physical, financial, or data-related harm.
The ACTIS president said safety in the telecommunication sector extends beyond physical hardware to include data privacy and protection from cyber fraud.
“We call for stricter enforcement by the Standard organization of Nigeria (SON) to eliminate substandard mobile devices and Cable Tv equipment that pose fire or electric hazards.
“We also want safe services from telecoms that are transparent – free from hidden charges and misleading advertisements”, he said.
He urged subscribers to utilize platforms like ACTIS as well as NCC and even FCCPC web portal when they encounter service failures.
He also tasked FG on hosting Nigerian Data Privacy in the country.
He said: “We ask for more robust surveillance and swifter penalties for entities that violate consumer safety standards. We admonish the subscribers to be aware and speak out, a vigilant consumer is a protected consumer.”
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