The federal government has issued a warning to telecommunications operators in Nigeria, declaring that they must improve the quality of services delivered to subscribers or face regulatory sanctions.
The warning comes as the government insists that recent policy reforms and interventions have restored stability to the telecommunications sector, removing the longstanding structural and financial constraints often cited by operators as reasons for poor network performance.
In a statement issued by Bosun Tijani, the minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, said Nigerians should begin to see measurable improvements in call quality, internet speed and network coverage.
The statement follows a recent directive by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ordering Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to compensate subscribers in areas where service quality falls below the standards prescribed by the regulator.
The compensation directive forms part of the NCC’s broader consumer protection strategy aimed at ensuring telecom users are not left to bear the consequences of poor service delivery.
Tijani said that when the current administration assumed office, it became evident that Nigeria’s connectivity problems were rooted in years of underinvestment in infrastructure and other constraints that hindered operators from providing reliable services.
According to him, the government has since addressed the challenge on two fronts: long-term infrastructure expansion and immediate sector stabilisation.
On the infrastructure side, the minister said the government had secured financing led by the World Bank and established a special purpose vehicle under Project BRIDGE to deploy nationwide open-access fibre infrastructure.
He added that fibre deployment would begin before the end of the year, alongside the rollout of new telecom towers through the Nigerian Universal Communications Access Project (NUCAP), while satellite connectivity capacity is also being expanded.
“These investments will address the foundational gaps in our digital infrastructure over the next two to five years and permanently transform connectivity across Nigeria,” Tijani said.
He explained that the goal is to make reliable high-speed internet accessible directly to homes and businesses, reducing dependence on unstable mobile broadband connections and improving productivity for small businesses.
Beyond infrastructure, the minister said the government had taken difficult but necessary decisions to restore the financial health of the telecom sector.
These include approval of tariff adjustments, the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, efforts to harmonise taxes and broader macroeconomic reforms such as the floating of the naira and removal of fuel subsidies.
According to Tijani, these interventions have created a more stable, transparent and market-driven environment for operators, enabling them to return to profitability.
“This is important because operators now have both the capacity and the resources to fix outstanding issues within their networks and improve the quality of service delivered to Nigerians,” he said.
Tijani stressed that with the enabling conditions now in place, operators including MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom and T2 must take responsibility for resolving network issues and meeting consumer expectations.
He added that the NCC has been fully empowered to independently monitor performance, enforce service standards and ensure compliance across the industry.
The minister said the government would rely on the Commission’s performance reports as well as feedback from subscribers to track improvements and hold operators accountable.
“Going forward, we expect to see clear and measurable improvements in call quality, data performance, and coverage,” Tijani said.
“Where operators deliver, it will be recognised. Where they do not, the Commission is expected to take appropriate regulatory action.”
Nigeria’s telecom industry has continued to battle with persistent complaints from subscribers over dropped calls, poor voice quality and slow internet speeds, despite the approval of a 50 percent tariff adjustment for operators about a year ago.
In response, the NCC has intensified efforts to strengthen oversight and enforcement.
The Commission introduced new Quality of Service (QoS) Regulations in 2024, establishing stricter Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for operators. These benchmarks cover metrics such as call setup success rates, call drop rates, network congestion and data performance.
“Nigerians should begin to see improvements in Quality of Service and get value for what they pay for now and in the future,” Tijani added.
