Telecom
Nigeria Risks Internet Shutdown over IPv4
Unless urgent infrastructural and devices upgrades are carried out soonest, the country’s internet space may be shut down denying Nigerians access to the information superhighway because her Internet protocol (IP) is legacy.
In simple words, the internet protocol 4 (IPv4) on which most connectivity in Nigeria are channeled through is on the verge of extinction.
The Internet Protocol (IP), according to experts, is the principal communications modus operandi in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagram across network circuits. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet.
IP, as the primary protocol, Wikipedia writes, in the Internet layer of the Internet protocol suite, has the task of delivering packets from the source host to the destination host solely based on the IP addresses.
Engineer Otunte Otueneh, chapter officer, Internet Society Nigeria Chapter, told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek during that the IPv4 is almost finished, warning that, “by the time the IPv4 finishes most PC cannot be connected to the internet”.
Otueneh, who spoke at the sidelines of the IPV6 roundtable organised by DigitalSENSE Africa Media said that “we need to create awareness to tell Nigerians especially that version 4 is almost finished and we need to move on to the new version”
The exhaustion of the IPv4 pool and the inevitable transition to IPv6 has been the talk of many national and international meetings, particularly during a Sociétés de l’Information dedicated to the AfNOG, AfriNIC and INET meetings held in Abuja at the beginning of May 2007.
With IPv4 exhaustion looming and IPv6 taking a slow start, debate heated up at the conference.
According to Alain Patrick Aina, special project manager for AfriNIC, the company in-charge of internet protocol in Africa, stresses the total expiration could be extremely rapid, depending on the rates of consumption.
In Abuja, Bill Woodcock, Board member of ARIN, the North American Regional Internet Registry (RIR), warned that RIRs should get rid of old ways of thinking and start planning their next step.
AfriNic managing the end of IPv4eith less than 1% of the distributed IPv4 address space, AfriNIC is by far the smallest RIR. However, it has anticipated the end of IPv4 at an early stage.
It is foreseen that its current IP address space will run out in no distant time. Two last requests for further allocations to IANA, the global pool’s steward, should allow delaying IPv4’s regional exhaustion until April 2014.
Nevertheless, if IPv4 consumption rate accelerates critically before AfriNIC is able to justify its last request, there could be a major concern to ensure a smooth transition before IPV6 is fully implemented.
Otueneh continued, “It is unimaginable when the version 6 will finish. Now, we need to create awareness to tell Nigerians especially that version 4 is almost finished and we need to move on to the new version. Communication providers and end users have to be aware of this, if not they risk losing connectivity because the version they are using is on brick of extinction.
“Original Equipment manufacturers while manufacturing their equipment or devices they have to make sure that the technologies are IPv6 enabled. And the end user has to be wise enough that while you are going to shop you should request for IPv6 enables device. The problem will start when someone with internet protocol version 4 approaches an internet service provider that runs on IPv6, there will not be compatibility; at the end the user will lack connection to the internet”. He added
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek search further revealed that IPv6 and IPv4 are two completely separate protocols and IPv6 is not backwards compatible with IPv4.
IPv4 hosts and routers will not be able to deal directly with IPv6 traffic and vice versa, unfortunately, there will be extreme difficulties with address allocation and routing if the Internet is to continue be run indefinitely using IPv4 and it is impossible to switch the entire Internet over to IPv6 overnight.
Asked when IPv4 will be exhausted, Otueneh said that developed countries have started implementing IPv6, “but we are yet to do that in Nigeria. Meanwhile, we have a very minimal time. Very soon, AfriNIC may stop allocating version 4, because they told us that it is almost out. So, if there are a lot of demands for IP addresses today, it can get exhausted today”.
In his contribution, Benedict Othello, head, Information Systems, Phase 3 Telecoms, said that, “it is like being warned there is going to be flood, the question is: how do I get prepared so not to be affected or survive it”.
On the implication on mobile phone market in the country, he said, “before the danger loaming takes place, we are creating awareness. It is a two way thing. The service provider will be on version 6, the smartphones should be version 6 enabled. When that happens, they will flow seamlessly.
“Now, those on IPv4 platform cannot be accommodated by the service providers at a point. For instance if telecom operators in Nigeria roll out Sim cards and fail to expand their modules for more subscribers it will affect their businesses. It is all about upgrading to that new version to accommodate more customers”.
Otueneh said that some Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are already taking cover for the rainy days.
“Some of the laptops in circulation are already running on version 6. One can use the networking interface card to check the version of a particular device. OEMs have stated manufacturing internet protocol version 6 enabled equipments,” he observed.
He urged the government, especially the telecom regulators to compel service providers to brazen up for IPv6 migration.
“We need to proactive by training our technical personnel so that when the time comes, we will not lack qualified or competent people to handle that; if not we are creating room for expatriates to flood the IT environment which is indirectly creating channels for capital flight. But if we are ready now, at a time we shall be exporting the technical personnel, because it will take people by surprise,” he added.
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
Concerns over network reliability and its impact on Nigeria’s growing creator economy took centre stage at MTN Nigeria’s Data on Trial event, where content creator and streamer, Jarvis, challenged telecommunications operators to improve connectivity for digital creators.
Speaking during the event, Jarvis asked whether there were locations in Nigeria where uninterrupted internet connectivity could support real-life (IRL) streaming without network disruptions.
“Are there places where there is no breakage when streaming IRL?” she asked.
Her question highlighted the challenges faced by content creators who depend on stable internet services for live streaming, content uploads and real-time engagement with audiences.
Responding, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr Yahaya Ibrahim, said network performance depends on several factors, including location, network coverage, device capability and the number of users connected to a particular base station.
He noted that operators continue to invest in expanding network capacity to meet the growing demand for data services.
Earlier, MTN’s General Manager, Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Mr Michael Ndukwe, explained the evolution of mobile network technology in Nigeria, from first-generation (1G) services to the current fifth-generation (5G) technology.
According to him, each phase of technological advancement has significantly increased network capacity and enabled new digital services.
Ndukwe cited Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data showing that Nigerians consumed about 13.2 million terabytes of data in 2025.
He added that data usage reached approximately 4.06 million terabytes in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the country’s increasing reliance on digital platforms and online services.
According to him, the growth is being driven by wider adoption of 4G and 5G networks, increased smartphone penetration, the proliferation of smart devices and expanding use of social media platforms.
Participants at the event noted that as more Nigerians build businesses and careers around digital content, access to reliable and high-speed internet has become critical to sustaining the country’s digital economy and creator ecosystem.
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