Telecom
“We are all about Empowering our Customers and Community” – Ugonwa Nwoye
To celebrate the 2022 annual Customer Service Week, leading ICT organization, MTN Nigeria, hosted customers at an online forum themed Empowering Customers and Community which was held on October 7, 2022. The session had over 200 people in attendance including MTN customers.
Ugonwa Nwoye, Chief Customer Relations Officer, MTN Nigeria, alongside Odunayo Sanya, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, were the keynote speakers. The discussion centered on how MTN is empowering its customers and the communities across Nigeria while also addressing a few concerns raised by the customers.
Commencing the discussion, Odunayo Sanya appreciated MTN customers, thanking them for their partnership for over two decades., “MTN has flourished for twenty years and counting but this would not have been possible without the partnership of MTN customers and community, we say a big thank you,” she said.
Odunayo also stated that the world today is in crucial need of empathy, particularly towards individuals with special needs. She communicated MTN’s role in facilitating this form of empowerment, “MTN does not stop at providing quality service, we partner with organizations to ensure inclusivity of persons with health conditions in the society. Through the MTN Foundation, we empower and provide opportunities for growth, and also ensure the inclusivity of persons with disabilities, and a good example is the MTN scholarship for blind students.”
Odunayo encouraged everyone to see themselves as influencers in their respective communities, stating that everyone can effect change in their communities and personal lives. “Empowerment begins with the little things and evolves into the big things but one must begin from one point. We are all change agents capable of impacting and empowering others, so let us try to do the little we can wherever we find ourselves.”
Chief Customer Relations Officer, Ugonwa Nwoye explained that MTN Nigeria is dedicated to empowering its customers and their communities, by ensuring their service needs are met through a guaranteed quality network service.
“MTN is focused on making sure that everywhere we provide service, we work on making sure the services are at an acceptable level. We understand that there are some gaps, however, we put in plans to make sure that our services are at better levels even in rural communities. We have programs to go into rural areas and provide excellent coverage there” she stated.
Ugonwa also explained that MTN is interested in the well-being of its customers and continues to provide new ways customers can get the best out of their data bundles. Speaking to how customers can manage their data, Ugonwa said “We put out a lot of educational materials across all our channels, to help people understand how they can properly optimize the use of their data. For instance, on the MTN App there is a section that shows how much data your phone consumes per application on your phone every day.” Sharing his experience, a customer commended MTN’s stress-free channel for resolving customers’ issues.
Customer Service Week is an international celebration of the importance of customer service and the people who serve and support customers daily. It is a week-long event to raise awareness for customer service and the vital role it plays in successful business practices and the growth of the economy.
MTN joined the world to celebrate this year’s Customer Service Week with various activities including a photo challenge, online competitions, trivia quizzes, and giveaways. The giveaways run through to the end of October, and customers can participate by following MTN’s social media accounts where all activities and information are communicated.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has announced the formation of Airbel Ventures, a new humanitarian impact investing fund aimed at accelerating the introduction and scaling of breakthrough technologies in crisis-affected communities.
The fund will invest in companies whose ideas have the potential to change humanitarian response, including digital infrastructure for frontline health systems and climate-resilient agriculture.
The launch of Airbel Ventures follows a period of rapid innovation at the IRC, despite the humanitarian sector facing record funding cuts.
In the past year, the IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab has advanced more than twenty Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology initiatives—from anticipatory action tools powered by climate and vulnerability data, to frontline service delivery using safe, orchestrated AI systems, to breakthrough diagnostic tools for emerging diseases.
Airbel Ventures’ first impact investment is in Signalytic, a company delivering solar-powered computing devices that ensure reliable electricity and connectivity for remote health facilities.
Following the investment, the IRC will pilot Signalytic’s technology with its Nigeria Health team, demonstrating the viability of next-generation digital infrastructure in humanitarian settings.
“We know breakthrough solutions already exist—what’s missing is the path to scale in humanitarian contexts,” said Dr. Jeannie Annan, Senior Vice President for Research & Innovation at the IRC and head of the Airbel Impact Lab.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecommunications operator, recorded a historic surge in network disruptions in 2025, suffering 9,218 fibre cuts as of December 31, alongside 211 base station sites affected by theft and vandalism, incidents that disrupted mobile and data services relied upon daily by millions of Nigerians.
The data was revealed by Dr Karl Toriola, chief executive officer/managing director, MTN Nigeria via a social media post titled ‘MTN Nigeria 2025 Wrapped’.
The scale of the damage highlights the growing vulnerability of Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure, which has come under increasing pressure from road construction activities, cable theft and deliberate acts of vandalism.
MTN said 5,478 fibre cuts occurred within just the first seven months of 2025, with 760 incidents recorded in July alone, underscoring the intensity of the challenge.
Some of the incidents had wide-ranging consequences, knocking out connectivity across multiple states simultaneously and affecting voice calls, data services, digital payments and enterprise operations.
The company described the situation as a national infrastructure problem, rather than an isolated corporate issue, given the economy’s deep dependence on mobile networks.
“These gaps were shaped by real operational challenges such as fibre cuts, theft, and vandalism. Their impact is felt directly by customers and reflected in what they tell us,” Toriola,
The disruptions were reflected in customer feedback volumes, as MTN handled an unprecedented number of complaints during the year. The operator said it resolved 1,624,263 customer complaints in 2025, spanning call centres, social media platforms, emails and physical service centres nationwide.
Despite the setbacks, MTN pointed to signs of operational resilience. The company retained its ranking as Nigeria’s best network by Ookla, returned to profitability after a challenging period, declared an interim dividend, and expanded its subscriber base to over 85 million users by September 2025.
The figures show that while Nigeria’s telecom operators continue to invest heavily in network expansion and customer service, infrastructure sabotage remains a major drag on service quality and operating costs.
MTN acknowledged that performance improvements remain a work in progress. “We are not where we want to be yet. We see you. We hear you. We exist because of you. And we will get better,” Toriola said.
As the company enters its 25th year of operations in Nigeria, Toriola said MTN is doubling down on customer-centricity, treating every piece of feedback as a guide for improvement, while also stepping up engagement with government agencies.
The CEO renewed calls for stronger regulatory and legal protections for telecommunications infrastructure, urging policymakers to classify fibre cables, base stations and other critical assets as national infrastructure and criminalise vandalism to deter repeat attacks.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted operating licences to six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), effective January 1, 2026, raising the total number of authorised ISPs in the country to 231 from 225 recorded in December 2025.
NCC
The newly licensed firms are Intellvision Technologies Limited, Granet Technologies Limited, Fiber Sonic Limited, Dasol Solution Services Ltd, Boost ISP Limited, and Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited.
Five of these companies are headquartered in Lagos, while Granet Technologies Limited operates from Owerri in Imo State, highlighting the persistent concentration of broadband infrastructure in major commercial hubs like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
This development intensifies competition in Nigeria’s broadband market, which faces pressure from dominant mobile network operators such as MTN and Airtel, alongside rapid expansion by satellite providers like Starlink.
Traditional ISPs continue to grapple with shrinking customer bases, aggressive data pricing from telcos, and satellite disruptions, even as NCC data from Q2 2025 showed Spectranet, Starlink, and FibreOne controlling about 65 per cent of the 313,713 active ISP subscribers.
The inclusion of Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited marks a significant entry of global satellite broadband competition, building on Nigeria’s recent approvals for other low Earth orbit providers to enhance connectivity in underserved areas.
Industry analysts view the licences as a strategic push to improve internet quality amid rising demand for digital services, though geographic clustering underscores ongoing infrastructure challenges outside urban centres.
NCC’s move aligns with broader efforts to foster a competitive telecoms sector critical to Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.
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