The Nigerian Communications Commission has assured Nigerians that ongoing industry-wide investments and regulatory interventions are beginning to improve the quality of telecommunications services across the country, despite persistent consumer complaints over poor network performance.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Commission’s Head of Public Affairs, Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, acknowledged growing public frustration over dropped calls, slow internet speeds, unstable data services, and network disruptions affecting daily activities.
Ukoha stated that telecommunications services have become critical to business, education, healthcare, and social connectivity, stressing that consumers deserve reliable services and value for money.
She explained that improving Quality of Service has remained a key regulatory focus over the past two years, with intensified monitoring of Mobile Network Operators, Internet Service Providers, and Tower Companies.
According to the NCC, the telecom sector is currently experiencing one of its largest network expansion and modernisation drives in recent years following a prolonged period of under-investment.
The Commission revealed that Mobile Network Operators invested over N2.13 trillion in network infrastructure and upgrades in 2025, while Tower Companies committed an additional N373.8 billion to support the deployment and upgrade of more than 2,800 telecommunications sites nationwide.
According to the regulator, these interventions include the rollout of additional 4G and 5G infrastructure, expansion of fibre backhaul capacity, targeted urban deployments, rural network expansion, and replacement of outdated equipment.
The Commission added that the expansion drive is continuing in 2026, with commitments secured from operators for the addition and upgrade of over 12,000 sites this year, nearly 3,000 of which have already been completed.
It also disclosed that more than 730 new 5G sites have been deployed across 27 states in 2026 alone.
The NCC further stated that it has facilitated the reallocation and restructuring of underutilised radio spectrum among major operators to improve network efficiency, capacity, and service performance.
According to the Commission’s Quality of Service assessments, national median download speeds improved from 16.5Mbps in January 2024 to 20Mbps currently, while 4G penetration increased from 45 per cent to 54 per cent within the same period.
It added that power availability at telecom towers also improved from 99.3 per cent in January 2025 to 99.7 per cent presently.
Despite the improvements, the Commission admitted that many consumers still experience poor call quality, network congestion, and unstable internet services in several areas, stressing that operators must accelerate service delivery improvements.
The NCC also blamed recurring network challenges on external factors such as fibre cuts, vandalism, theft of telecom infrastructure, power disruptions, and denial of access to maintenance teams.
It disclosed that more than 27,000 fibre-cut incidents linked mainly to road construction activities and vandalism were recorded nationwide in 2025.
The Commission said it is collaborating with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to enforce the Presidential Order on Critical National Information Infrastructure and curb vandalism and equipment theft.
To improve transparency, the NCC said operators have now been mandated to notify consumers promptly whenever major service outages occur and restore services within specified timelines.
The Commission noted that enforcement of the updated Quality of Service Regulations 2024 commenced in November 2025, including consumer compensation measures and additional investment obligations for operators and tower companies that fail to meet service standards.
It warned that regulatory sanctions would continue against operators that fail to deliver measurable improvements in service quality.
