Telecom
Nigerian Telcos to Add 45m New Lines by 2017-Business Monitor
After a wave of regulatory penalties, including fines and a ban on promotions, Nigeria’s mobile operators have announced plans to expand and upgrade their networks to cope with strong subscriptions growth and increasing data usage.
Business Monitor, the leading, independent provider of proprietary data, analysis, ratings, rankings and forecasts covering 195 countries and 24 industry sectors, expects this trend to continue over the medium term as the market is forecast to add around 45mn new subscribers in the five years to 2017.
Meanwhile, consolidation and, subsequently, transition to LTE technology appears to be a growing trend among tier two telecoms service providers in Nigeria.
Business Monitor sees this as a positive development as, through consolidation, tier-two operators are able to gain scale for bigger network deployments while the transition to LTE should enable them to compete better with 3G HSPA+ offerings from the GSM operators.
Some of the key data
Mobile subscription growth slowed to 2.7% quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) in Q213 due to the large net loss reported by third largest operator Airtel.
Mobile ARPU decline accelerated in Q213 due to the impact of cuts to mobile termination rates in April 2013, with market leader MTN’s ARPU down 22.6% year-on-year (y-o-y).
The fixed-line sector contracted by 5.7% in Q113 and 27.6% in the 12 months to June 2013.
In recent months the regulator, the NCC has implemented several regulatory measures expected to benefit consumers in the mobile market including mobile number portability, SIM registration and quality of service requirements. Most recently, in April 2013 cuts to mobile termination rates were implemented, which should reduce the cost of voice services, particularly off-net calls.
Meanwhile, in May 2013 the NCC published the National Broadband Plan, 2013 – 2018, which is a framework for a five-fold increase in broadband penetration by 2017. As part of the plan, in July 2013, Phase3 Telecom partnered with the NCC to extend its fibre infrastructure to rural communities as part of the government’s Backbone Transmission Infrastructure Project. The project, delivered under the Universal Service Provision Fund, will roll out 10,000km of fibre backbone infrastructure to all local government areas of Nigeria.
The broadband market is set to receive an injection of competition as Main One Cable Company transitioned to become a fully-fledged communications services provider, including rebranding to become Main One, in May 2013.
The Nigerian company intends to broaden its services from the wholesale of broadband connectivity to a suite of data centre and connectivity services throughout West and sub-Saharan Africa. It is building a metro Ethernet network to offer more than 200km of fibre optic access through Lagos’ business districts and a 2.5MW, 600 rack data centre to be completed by March 2014.
The company is also expanding its terrestrial fibre optic network, establishing points of presence in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
Toll Collection on Lagos-Calabar Highway Begins December
NGX Clears Fidelity Bank MD of Insider Trading Allegations
CBN Introduces AML to Fight Financial Terrorism, Gives Banks Deadline
Peter Obi Denies Secret Meeting with Tinubu over Fidelity Bank
Luft Pay TV Launches in Lagos, Promises to Revolutionize Entertainment
Telecom3 days agoTelcos Warn of Nationwide Telecom Blackout over Diesel Shortage
E-Financial3 days agoCBN, SEC Fine Access Holdings N1.21Bn for Infractions
E-Financial3 days agoFirst Asset Management Launches N100 Billion Infrastructure Fund to Provide Sustainable Capital for Infrastructural Development Across Sectors
Telecom3 days agoNigerians Spend N5.3 Trillion on Telecom Services
News3 days agoKaspersky Uncovers Dero Crypto Miner Spreading via Exposed Container Environments
Telecom3 days ago13 New Things Google Launched at I/O 2025
General News3 days agoIFC, Standard Chartered Expand Lending in Local Currencies
E-Financial2 days agoCBN Introduces AML to Fight Financial Terrorism, Gives Banks Deadline