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Telecom

Increasing Internet Access through Sabi, Win Initiatives

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Internet service delivery in the country has been a nightmare ranging from low speed and high cost of the service.
Apart from Internet access service offered by many of the ISPs in Nigeria to the general populace, telecommunications operators also provide data services.
There are issues associated with performance which cuts across the spectrum of various Internet connectivity solution providers in the country.
GSM networks:
All the four GSM networks offer Internet access solutions using GPRS, EDGE and/or 3G (3.5G), although, their Internet services are not at its best in terms of speed.
CDMA networks:
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators are doing much in this regard, with most of them rolling out wireless broadband service, however, there are some challenges with the speed.
Against this backdrop that NCC is planning a forum to address the various bottle-necks in operators bid to offer high speed internet service to their subscribers.
Determined to improve on the current low Internet penetration in the country, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) on July 11, 2006 said it was poised to scale the hurdles to speed up the development of Internet through some new initiatives, deploying emerging information and knowledge technologies.
NCC to the rescue
These initiatives include the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI), Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) as well as Wire Nigeria project.
Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) explained that the major reasons for the slow development of Internet services in the country were the high cost of bandwidth, computers and Internet infrastructure as well as unreliable power supply. He however assured that the NCC would remain focused on its programme of enthroning an information society where every citizen enjoys the full benefits of the global information superhighway.
SABI, Ndukwe said, has been designed to encourage the private sector to build and run a broadband infrastructure with government support and incentive in all state capitals and selected major commercial cities in the country. The project which is nearer to completion will drive Broadband to home (B2H) at an affordable cost.
The SABI project entails the provision of wireless broadband services in Nigerian cities; stimulation of demand for Internet services and increase in usage; and stimulation and acceleration of opportunities in e-education, e-commerce, e-governance, and all electronic related services.
It is believed that National e-government strategy (Negst) is going to leverage on the Sabi in the deployment solution that will facilitate the take off of e-government in the country, especially its recently launched electronic Local Government Administration (eLGA).
The WiN project is intended to provide massive fibre transmission facilities to most areas of Nigeria. The project when fully implemented will ensure that all Nigerians will be only a maximum of 50 km from a fibre network access point wherever they live.
 The first phase will connect all State capitals to the fibre network; thereafter all Local Government headquarters will be connected. In the final phase, it is intended that all Nigerians will be within 50 km of a fibre network.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) announced at the end of the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that Sabi will deliver broadband services in all of the country’s states by the end of 2009. The NCC hopes that the rollout will help to drive economic recovery. The GSM Association (GSMA), the worldwide group of GSM operators, in report said that ICT investments, especially in broadband services, could help take countries out of the economic crisis.
‘The idea and purpose is to serve the areas that are unserved and improve on the areas that have been served partially. We want to stabilize the environment and create incentives that will improve manpower skills that will lead to economic growth,’ said chief regulator of the NCC, Ernest Ndukwe. The first phase of the project will cover the 36 state capitals, followed by expansion to council headquarters and other towns and cities in the local regions.
Three unnamed companies have been approached for the deployment, out of a total of 50 that applied to run and manage the subsidized programme.
He said the subject of broadband being discussed at the conference was timely and crucial to the commission; even as the nation celebrated seven years of massive growth in voice telephony, as broadband was the next frontier that needed to be conquered.
Ndukwe said it was because of the importance placed on extending broadband services to all parts of the country that the commission initiated the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative, which would cover all the 36 state capitals and many of the urban and semi urban centres. 
“The rationale behind the Sabi project is to provide wireless broadband services in Nigerian cities so as to stimulate demand for Internet services and increase usage, and most importantly, this project is to drive broadband to homes at affordable levels,” he said. 
The NCC boss said that the Wire Nigeria Project being facilitated by the commission to ensure provision of optic fibre cable backbone infrastructure across the country, would also compliment the Sabi. 
“The idea behind the WIN project is to provide a national backbone infrastructure,” he said.
"We have also given frequencies to those companies to enable them go round and do it copiously. So, by the end of the year, you will see a lot of broadband infrastructure rolled out across the country with good enough speed to make us happy. In the next few weeks, we shall be holding a forum to discuss how the speed of broadband is improved in our country. Many people are not happy with the current speed and there are bottlenecks and others and the forum is to seek a solution." I must say I have read it in the newspapers like anybody because there is no single company that has approached NCC for tariff increase, he said.
Ndukwe also disclosed that the commission had freely offered information and communication technology appreciation training to over 4,000 professors and lecturers from tertiary institutions across the country through the Digital Bridge Institute, which was established by the commission.
He said the training was offered to the lecturers under the Digital Appreciation Programme for Tertiary-designed to equip the lecturers with the basic computer skills and Internet application to ensure they were equipped to use the facilities to teach and encourage their students.


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NCC Wins Global ICT Award for Digital Awareness in Schools

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L–R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, receives the WSIS 2025 Prize (Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge) from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, following the selection of the Commission's Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as winner of the category.
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Nigeria, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has won the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) prize for its project, the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP), under Category C3, which is on Access to Information and Knowledge.

L–R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, receives the WSIS 2025 Prize (Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge) from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, following the selection of the Commission’s Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as winner of the category.

The DAP, one of hundreds of projects submitted for the WSIS Prizes competition 2025, received the highest number of votes in its category, earning it the top honour. The programme equips secondary schools across the country with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources and provide internet connectivity to support teaching, learning, and research. Since inception in 2006, over 300 schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones have benefitted from the programme.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, received the award during the WSIS Prizes Winners 2025 Ceremony held on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.

In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Maida thanked the hosts, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and WSIS, for recognising Nigeria’s efforts in promoting inclusive digital access across Nigeria, noting that the award would serve as further motivation for the Commission.

“This recognition is more than a celebration of past efforts—it is an encouragement to press forward. It affirms that investing in digital inclusion is investing in national development, and that Nigeria’s work is being seen and valued on the global stage,” Dr. Maida said.

Four other Nigerian projects—the Women Techsters and the Advanced Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADEPTI) under Capacity Building, the Telecom-Based Research Grant Initiative under Enabling Environment, and the Digital Learning Initiative under e-Learning—were also celebrated for their nomination for the Champions Category of Projects at the WSIS Prizes Ceremony. Although they were not among the top-voted entries, they were acknowledged for their significant merit and impact.

The WSIS Prizes competition recognises and promotes projects that effectively leverage ICTs to advance sustainable development. The competition showcases how technology can serve as a powerful tool for addressing global challenges and achieving the SDGs. Projects from around the world are recognised annually, highlighting diverse approaches to building an inclusive information society.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a United Nations (UN) initiative aimed at building a people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society. It provides a multi-stakeholder platform to address issues related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their role in achieving sustainable development.

The Forum is an annual event that brings together high-level representatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, and international organisations. It serves as a global platform for implementing the WSIS Action Lines, which are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


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No More Excuses: NCC Sets Tough August Deadline to Tackle Telecom Hitches

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecom tower operators in the country August 2025 deadline to fix persistent network hitches in their facilities or face regulatory sanctions.

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, reportedly gave the ultimatum during a high-level meeting with key industry players, attended by representatives of IHS Towers, American Tower Corporation (ATC), and Pan-African Towers, and mobile network operators (MNOs) in Abuja

According to sources, discussions at the meeting focused on the recurring challenges in the telecoms sector, particularly power failures, equipment malfunctions, and insufficient site maintenance, that have been causing poor Internet and call services in the country

Specifically, Maida tasked the tower operators on the imperative of complying with the NCC’s updated Quality of Service (QoS) framework, which now extends performance obligations to infrastructure providers, not just telecom service providers.

According to him, the timeline given by the commission is more than enough time for all parties to align with the performance standards expected of them.

Recently, to ensure compliance with the standards, the NCC introduced a Major Incident Reporting Portal for real-time outage disclosures; developed public performance dashboards to enhance transparency; mandated that telecom tower companies meet strict Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Although the tower operators had previously cited delayed payments from MNOs as a reason for service lapses, the NCC had dismissed the justification, insisting that all parties must meet their obligations.

The EVC maintained: “Operators must fulfill both their technical and financial responsibilities. Poor service delivery—regardless of internal disputes—will attract consequences.”

Available data on the telecom tower infrastructure shows that IHS Towers has the largest assets with 16,000–19,000 sites, (62% market share); compared to American Tower Corp’s (ATC’s) about 8,270 towers; and Pan-African Towers’ 760–1,000 sites nationwide.

The latest NCC’s August deadline is believed to be putting pressures on the tower operators to improve the quality of their facilities for improved services as the commission had hinted of its plan to sanction defaulting operators with fines or stricter regulatory actions.

Industry experts believe that the NCC’s directive is a welcomed development as it will ensure reliable Internet connectivity and improved services quality for telecom consumers in the country.


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NCC to Chart MVNO Growth Path at Telecom Sustainability Forum 6.0

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to play a pivotal role at the upcoming 6th edition of the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 6.0), where it will lead a critical discussion on the sustainable growth of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.

Set against a backdrop of innovation and opportunity, this forum, organized by Business Remarks, aptly themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s MVNO Potential: Status, Trends, Investment, and Future Prospects,” is scheduled for August 26, 2025. This event reinforces the nation’s commitment to fostering a robust, competitive, and inclusive telecommunications landscape.

The forum will bring together a diverse array of key stakeholders from across the telecom ecosystem to deliberate on strategies for integrating MVNOs effectively into Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy. With the recent advancements in technology and the issuance of 43 MVNO licenses to new players, MVNOs are poised to significantly enhance service delivery, drive digital transformation, penetrate underserved markets, and stimulate healthy competition across the sector.

As the global MVNO market is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating continued expansion, experts believe that with the right regulatory environment and access to infrastructure, emerging markets like Nigeria can leverage MVNOs to unlock new value for both operators (by utilizing excess network capacity) and customers. Customers can enjoy a rich array of niche value-added services tailored to their needs.

Having been proactive in introducing a five-tier MVNO licensing classification, each with distinct services and a 10-year validity period, signaling a clear path for new entrants, the telecom regulator (NCC) will deliver a keynote address outlining the Commission’s regulatory framework, interventions, and commitment to ensuring a conducive environment for MVNO operations.

Mrs. Bukola Olanrewaju, Convener of the forum and Managing Editor of Business Remarks, emphasized the importance of collaboration. “TSSF 6.0 is designed to be a melting pot of ideas, bringing together Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), MVNOs, telecoms infrastructure providers, Internet Service Providers, industry associations, and technology experts,” she said.

“Our goal is to ignite discussions that will shape the future of MVNOs in Nigeria, ensuring their sustainable growth and their critical role in extending digital prosperity across the nation.”

The forum will feature interactive sessions, thought-provoking panel discussions, insightful paper presentations, and abundant networking opportunities. This event aims to provide a platform for stakeholders to share insights, address challenges, and explore collaborative pathways for sustainable growth.


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