Nigeria’s mobile-phone operators plan to step up spending on network infrastructure this year, promising to invest more than the over $1bn (N1.4tn) ploughed into the sector in 2025, the Nigerian Communications Commission has said.
The commitment comes after a year of heavy capital expenditure last year, when telcos rolled out more than 2,850 new network sites. The expansion extended coverage across cities, rural areas, and major transport corridors, while also supporting the gradual spread of 5G services.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said the improvements captured in the regulator’s latest network performance report released this week were largely driven by last year’s spending.
“In 2025, over $1bn in industry investment resulted in the deployment of more than 2,850 new sites to expand both coverage and capacity nationwide.
Much of the progress reflected in today’s reports is a direct outcome of these investments,” the regulator said in a remark shared with The PUNCH on Thursday.
“We have secured commitments from operators to exceed their 2025 investment levels in 2026, with infrastructure investments continuing in earnest.”
Africa’s most populous country faces rising data demand, higher operating costs, and pressure to expand reliable connectivity beyond urban centres, a familiar challenge across the Global South.
Last year’s expansion followed a period of financial strain that had prompted operators to lobby for higher tariffs. A 50 per cent hike in service charges, approved by the NCC and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, relieved some of that pressure, allowing telcos to return to profitability and resume ambitious investment plans.
The Q4 2025 report, which was presented virtually, showed steady gains in key performance indicators, including improvements in median download speeds across both urban and rural areas compared with the previous quarter. The regulator noted a narrowing of the video quality experience gap between urban and rural locations, alongside continued strengthening of Nigeria’s 4G network backbone.
“These reports enable us to track progress, identify gaps and guide targeted regulatory interventions,” Maida said, noting that the NCC is using independently verified data to inform decisions around spectrum optimisation, infrastructure upgrades, quality-of-service enforcement and rural connectivity expansion.
Despite the gains recorded in 2025, the NCC acknowledged that challenges remain within the sector. The Q4 reports highlighted gaps in 5G service availability and persistent inequalities in upload speeds, as well as pockets of limited mobile service coverage in parts of the country.
Maida said the commission is actively working with operators to address these shortcomings, adding that the planned increase in infrastructure spending in 2026 would be critical to closing coverage gaps and supporting Nigeria’s growing demand for data services.
The NCC stressed that the decision to publish the network performance reports is part of its broader push for transparent, data-driven regulation, made possible through collaboration with global network intelligence firm Ookla, which provides independent insights into real-world network performance and user experience.
With operators preparing to scale up investment beyond the $1bn spent in 2025, the Commission said it expects continued improvements in network reliability, speed, and coverage, as well as progress toward a more inclusive digital ecosystem that serves both urban and underserved communities.
The NCC said it would continue working closely with industry stakeholders to ensure that increased investment translates into measurable service quality improvements for subscribers across the country.
