Telecom
Nigeria Mobile Operators and Host communities
Since the emergence of mobile telephone in the 2001, combined subscription is inching close to the 50 million mark and many more yet to sign up. The potentials are still enormous given the fact that total population under the licensed territory (Nigeria) is close to 140 million people.
Good as it may sound that we can now connect to the world without the endless wait and shoddy services that characterized the pre-GSM era, when Nitel’s monopoly hold sway. Despite all the rapid expansion and coverage in most cities nation wide, quality of service issues seems to the albatross of the mobile operators.
Quality of mobile phone services is commonly the most discussed topic outside politics and Energy issues which we are daily confounded with. Even the newly inaugurated senate had already debated on it! While the national regulator, NCC, in many instances and at different forums reinforced the importance of provisioning high quality services to millions of subscribers, the stark reality is that the situation seems to be getting worse by the day.
NCC also initiated the consumer outreach and consumer parliament to resolve subscriber’s frustrations which had taken another dimension with subscribers forming associations and even going further to advocate service boycotts in protest against poor service delivery and in some extreme cases, initiated court cases against mobile operators.
In the midst of allegations, accusations and claims by operators and subscribers alike, what the entire population failed to look at genuinely are some points that operators are raising.
Some time ago, MTN Communications had reasons to alert the public about its facilities that were maliciously damaged. Important components of mobile telephony technology are the radio equipments which are mounted on towers and mast all over the towns and cities. Fiber Optics cables also carry traffic crisscrossing the national boundaries and some of the longest cables in Africa in located here in Nigeria.
Recently we all witnessed massive degradation of services across all the networks and despite all efforts, its seems the problem is beyond them. Most service disruption is directly link to the handiwork of vandals and community agitators. In many instances, workers and their sub contractors are denied access to the base station sites to service power generators and other equipments, fiber optics unearth from the ground and severed, diesel theft and generator vandals. The irony is that the communities that now turned vandals at some point clamored for the Base stations to be sited in their community.
Most of the demands of the communities are unrealistic, ranging from multiple payments for acquired site properties, road construction, powering of communities and even scholarships!!! These are not the duties of companies that pay all forms of taxes to government. Though some of the activities of the operators do impact the environment negatively sometimes, care should be taken to ensure strict compliance with environmental regulations to curb noise pollution from generating sets, spillages from diesel and used engine oil which can pollute source of community waters.
Community empowerment programs can be implemented through engaging locals as site security, civil repairs works and immediate remedial repairs whenever their activities impact on the communities negatively. Mobile operators should also leverage on site where some basic infrastructure that can support their services exists. They can leverage on the branch network of banks and as they roll out new Bank Branches, they make provision for tower erections on the properties on a rental basis. This offers some level of security. Implementation of integrated maintenance of cell sites, will also reduce numbers and frequency of site visits for maintenance purposes. Increasing the storage tanks for diesel will greatly help in reducing frequent top up visits which seems to be a lucrative target for community extortions.
With communities and vandals taking its toll on the operations on the mobile operators and high cost of subscribers acquisition in face of keen competition, it is only natural that the subscribers will be at the receiving end through poor services and high tariffs. Just like crude oil production where you need a maze of pipelines to deliver contents likewise the telecommunications services too. The base stations might look like a stand alone installation but operationally, they are inter connected and linked with many others elsewhere and when one goes down, it might lead to disruption of services or a near collapse in a locality .
The oil communities militancy that is threatening the revenue source of Nigeria started and got elevated to this level because we did not look hard enough at the root cause for many years and now they cant just stop.
So next time you tried to make that important call and it does not connect, it does not mean that the MTN,Zain AND GLO are not alive to their responsibility but maybe area boys and your community people had just tampered with a diesel hose that feeds the generator which powers the base station in your community or had just chased away telecoms workers from site and you are denied access to reach your loved ones via your mobile phone.
Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) hosted its annual Made of Africa (MOA) 2025 Awards on Monday, February 4, 2026. The event, held during the NGX year-end celebrations, brought together regulators, listed companies, and market operators such as MTN, BUA, Dangote, Transcorp, to celebrate achievements in compliance, sustainability, and market performance.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Umaru Kwairanga, the Chairman of Nigerian Exchange Limited, said “Excellence in compliance, sustainability, and several other categories recognises the fact that capital market operators and quoted companies must be standards not only in terms of the size of their operations but also adherence to regulations and best practices of corporate social responsibilities.”
He emphasised that the awards serve as a benchmark for excellence. He noted that the 2025 honourees demonstrated significant improvements in branding, customer service, and operational standards despite a challenging economic environment in Nigeria.
Among the evening’s significant winners was MTN Nigeria, which was honoured for its commitment to corporate transparency. The technology giant received the award for Leadership in Sustainability Reporting, emerging as the winner in a category that included Seplat Energy, BUA Cement, and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria PLC.
The award recognised the brand’s adherence to both national and global reporting standards, reflecting its role in advancing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices within the Nigerian corporate space.
Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria, said “This recognition for Leadership in Sustainability Reporting underscores our commitment to transparency and aligning with global best practices.
“As the capital market moves toward greater accountability, MTN Nigeria remains dedicated to demonstrating resilience and faith in the Nigerian economy through comprehensive and standard-compliant reporting.”
The ceremony saw several other major players in the financial sector secure multiple accolades. Chapel Hill Denham emerged as one of the night’s most successful firms, winning in categories including Fund Manager with the Largest Listed Fund Size and Market Operator with the Highest Value of Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) Transactions.
Other notable winners included: Cardinal Stone Securities Limited, named Broker of the Year and Equity Trader of the Year, Dangote Cement was awarded Best Issuer in terms of Fixed Income Listings, BUA Cement PLC was recognised as the Most Compliant Listed Company, and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) PLC received special recognition for Capital Market Excellence in Equity.
Mr. Jude Chiemeka, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Limited, congratulated the recipients, noting that the market saw a 51% close in the All-Share Index last year, making it the second-best performing market globally. He urged winners and nominees alike to continue striving for excellence to further the aspiration of a $1 trillion Nigerian economy.
Nigeria’s broadband landscape remains anchored by 4G LTE at 52.95% market share in December 2025, with 2G holding steady at 37.37%, while 5G penetration crawls at just 3.77%, per Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data.
4G’s dominance stems from urban smartphone migrations and MTN-Airtel infrastructure expansions, fuelling the digital economy, as 2G persists in rural areas due to feature phone reliance and a stubborn device gap.
5G growth stalls from high smartphone costs amid inflation, telco preference for 4G’s quicker returns over capital-heavy 5G rollouts, and limited mainstream apps beyond elite urban streaming in Lagos and Abuja.
Broadband subscriptions topped 112 million, lifting penetration to 51.97%—up from 42.2% in October 2024—crossing the halfway mark for the first time, though monthly gains of 2-3 million slowed mid-year amid population growth and regional disparities.
The NCC’s 70% target stays elusive, highlighting sustained urban-rural demand but underscoring needs for affordable devices, infrastructure, and use cases to accelerate high-speed access nationwide.
Nigeria’s internet subscriber base surged to 148.2 million by December 2025, achieving 68.3% penetration, even amid 50% tariff hikes and naira depreciation, according to Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data.
MTN and Airtel dominated with 86% market share, Airtel adding 1 million subscribers in December alone, while Glo and 9mobile lagged as legacy players.
Data consumption exploded 35% to 13.25 million terabytes yearly, but Nigerians spent ₦20.87 billion daily—totalling ₦7.62 trillion ($5.58 billion)—as gigabyte prices doubled from ₦287 to ₦575.
User frustrations mounted from network failures, thousands of fibre cuts due to construction and vandalism between January and August 2025, and poor service quality despite billions in revenue. 4G LTE held 52.95% share as the workhorse, 2G clung to 37.37% in rural areas, and 5G remained a 3.77% urban luxury limited by device costs and base stations.
The NCC’s 70% broadband target fell short at 51.97%, though the ICT sector boosted Q3 GDP by ₦7.47 trillion and restored telco profits post-2024 losses.
In 2026, attention shifts to quality matching rising costs, with users urged to stay powered amid persistent “spinning wheel” woes.
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