The Nigerian Communications Commission has acknowledged increasing complaints from Nigerians over poor telecommunications services and assured consumers that efforts are being intensified to improve network quality across the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Commission’s Head of Public Affairs, Nnena Ukoha, the regulator admitted that many subscribers continue to experience dropped calls, slow internet speeds, unstable data connections, and other service disruptions affecting daily activities.
Key Highlights:
- The Nigerian Communications Commission admitted Nigerians are facing poor network quality, dropped calls, and slow internet.
- The NCC said telecom operators invested over ₦2.13 trillion in network upgrades in 2025.
- More than 2,800 telecom sites were upgraded, with over 730 new 5G sites added across 27 states.
- The Commission said challenges include fibre cuts, vandalism, power issues, and site access problems.
- NCC warned operators to improve service quality or face regulatory sanctions under new 2024 regulations.
The Commission stressed that telecommunications services are now essential for business operations, education, financial transactions, and communication, adding that consumers deserve reliable services and value for money.
According to the NCC, improving Quality of Service has remained a major regulatory focus over the past two years through stricter oversight of Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers, and Tower Companies.
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The Commission disclosed that the telecom sector is currently undergoing one of its largest network expansion and modernisation drives in recent years following a long period of under-investment.
It revealed that Mobile Network Operators invested more than ₦2.13 trillion in infrastructure and network upgrades in 2025, while Tower Companies committed an additional ₦373.8 billion.
The investments reportedly supported the deployment and upgrade of more than 2,800 telecom sites nationwide to improve coverage and network capacity.
“The interventions include the addition of faster 4G and 5G layers on existing sites, expansion of fibre backhaul to improve site capacity and resilience, targeted deployments in high-demand urban locations, rollout into underserved communities, and general network equipment refresh,” the statement said.
The NCC added that operators have committed to adding and upgrading more than 12,000 telecom sites in 2026, with nearly 3,000 already completed. It also disclosed that over 730 new 5G sites have been deployed across 27 states this year.
According to the Commission, 4G penetration increased from 45 per cent in January 2024 to 54 per cent currently, while national median internet download speeds improved from 16.5Mbps to 20Mbps during the same period.
The regulator also stated that power availability at telecom towers improved from a national average of 99.3 per cent in January 2025 to 99.7 per cent currently.
Despite these improvements, the NCC admitted that subscribers in several locations still experience poor call quality, internet congestion, and slow browsing speeds.
The Commission identified major challenges affecting service delivery, including vandalism, theft of telecom infrastructure, power instability, restricted access to sites, and frequent fibre cuts caused mainly by road construction projects.
It revealed that more than 27,000 avoidable fibre-cut incidents were recorded nationwide in 2025 alone.
The NCC said it is working with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to strengthen the protection of telecommunications infrastructure and tackle criminal activities targeting telecom equipment.
The Commission further directed operators to promptly notify consumers about major outages and restore services within approved timelines.
It added that enforcement actions under the updated Quality of Service Regulations 2024 began in November 2025, including compensation measures for consumers and additional obligations for operators that fail to meet required standards.
“The Commission will continue enforcement, and where operators fail to deliver measurable improvements, appropriate regulatory action will be taken,” the statement added.
