ABUJA, May 22 – Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has begun reviewing Nigeria’s 26-year-old telecommunications policy, proposing wide-ranging reforms aimed at tackling worsening network outages, rising data demand, infrastructure damage and growing concerns around online safety.
The proposed National Telecommunications Policy 2026, expected to be finalised before year-end, would introduce changes covering tariff regulation, infrastructure sharing, spectrum management, cybersecurity and consumer protection as operators struggle with mounting pressure on existing networks.
Speaking at a policy review workshop in Lagos, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida said the telecommunications sector had moved beyond the assumptions underpinning the 2000 policy framework.
“When the National Telecommunications Policy 2000 was introduced, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector was at a very different stage of development,” Maida said, adding that regulators must now address technologies including artificial intelligence, 5G, satellite broadband, cloud infrastructure and the Internet of Things.
The revised framework proposes stronger legal protection for telecom infrastructure designated as Critical National Information Infrastructure, alongside harmonised Right of Way fees and streamlined permits intended to lower broadband deployment costs.
The policy would also support national roaming, satellite broadband integration, AI and IoT innovation, local telecom manufacturing and the creation of a Digital Innovation Fund.
Nigeria recorded 19,384 fibre-optic cable cuts in 2025, with another 5,934 reported in the first quarter of 2026, contributing to persistent service disruptions nationwide. At the same time, Nigerians consumed more than 4 billion gigabytes of data in Q1 2026 alone, increasing pressure on overstretched 4G infrastructure after the NCC achieved only about 25% of its planned network upgrade targets.
Former NCC Executive Vice Chairman and current MTN Nigeria chairman Ernest Ndukwe said the framework should remain adaptable as technologies evolve rapidly.
