Telecom
Regulatory Approval Delays MTN Nigeria’s PO Allotment

MTN Nigeria Communications (MTN Nigeria) Plc’s retail public offer’s allotment is still undergoing regulatory approval, more than one month after the closure of application list for the offer.
Sources at the weekend said MTN has yet to allocate the shares to the retail investors as the allotment proposal was still undergoing regulatory approval review, according to the Nation.
According to sources, Nigeria’s apex capital market regulator, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is still reviewing the allotment proposal and investors will be credited as soon as the final approval is received.
Market analysts, however, said the delay in regulatory approval undermined the digitalisation of the primary offer process. The MTN offer saw the maiden deployment of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX)’s Primary Offer, a digital tool aimed at automating the primary issuance process.
The MTN Nigeria’s public offer set record as the first to be delivered through a digital platform, thus facilitating maximum participation by investors. Investors were able to submit applications through the issuing houses, stockbrokers, banks and online through a unique digital application platform, PrimaryOffer, administered by the NGX.
MTN Nigeria had offered 575 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each to the public at a price of N169 per share. Application list for the offer had opened on December 1, 2021 and closed on December 14, 2021.
Minimum subscription to the retail offer was 20 shares and thereafter in multiples of 20 shares. The offer included a bonus share of one for every 20 shares bought by a retail investor subject to maximum bonus shares of 250 per investor. However, to qualify for the free share such retail investors must hold the shares allotted to the after the allotment date for at least a period of 12 months
The public offer was an offer for sale by MTN Group, which is divesting part of its shares in MTN Nigeria to allow investors to buy equities in the telecoms giant.
Karl Toriola, chief executive officer, MTN Nigeria Communications (MTN Nigeria) Plc, said the success and growth of MTN Nigeria was linked to Nigeria and Nigerians and it was very exciting to offer Nigerians the opportunity to own shares. in MTN Nigeria.
“Our journey to becoming the largest network in Nigeria has been humbling, but we still have a long way to go. There is much more to do to support the evolution of an inclusive digital economy, and we continue to invest as we evolve into a truly digital operator, capable of seamlessly integrating value across the evolving telecommunications, digital and fintech segments,” Toriola said.
Ralph Mupita, president and chief executive officer, MTN Group, said the offer aligned with MTN Group’s strategic priority to create shared value.
He noted that in the last 20 years, the group has worked diligently to connect 68 million subscribers onto voice and data networks and ensure that it delivers the benefits of a modern connected life.
“With this offer, we will contribute to the further deepening of Nigeria’s equity capital markets. It is the first in a series of transactions as the MTN Group implements its plans to ensure broad-based ownership by reducing its shareholding in MTN Nigeria to 65 per cent over time. We thank the Nigerian authorities for the support we as MTN Group have received in the various approvals related to this offer, and remain committed to play our humble role in driving digital and financial inclusion across the country over the medium-term,” Mupita said.
Telecom
PAT Taps Osi as CEO

Pan African Towers (PAT), a Nigerian infrastructure provider serving 9mobile and Spectranet, has appointed Echezona Osi as chief executive officer.

Echezona Osi
Adefolarin Ogunsanya, company’s, board chairman, explained in a statement that Osi would succeed Oladipo Badru, whose tenure lasted nine months in acting CEO position. Osi has more than 28 years of experience in the telecommunications sector across various regions of Africa.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, he had served as the head of network deployment at Airtel Nigeria, operations director and chief technical information officer at MIC Tanzania, chief technology officer roles at IPT PowerTech Nigeria, Rhino Niger Networks and Biswal Nigeria.
He obtained a degree in electrical/ electronic engineering from the University of Benin and a postgraduate diploma in data science and business analytics from the University of Texas.
Telecom
NCC Introduces N10m Licence Fee for Bulk SMS Service

Companies sending bulk international text messages, also known as Application-to-Person (A2P) messages, will now have apply for a licence that costs N10 million.
This is part of new rules introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) aimed at cleaning up the system, fighting fraud, blocking spam messages and stopping money from leaving the country unchecked.
These A2P messages are the kind customers get from banks, online stores, hospitals and political campaigns, automated texts sent from apps to their phones.
According to the commission, the bulk international text message system has been poorly regulated, allowing misuse and invasion of privacy.
“The International SMS Service Ecosystem in Nigeria has not been fully brought under regulatory control. It has been observed that the excessive use of the Short Message Service has led to fraud, spam and illegal activities,” the NCC said.
The regulator warned that without action, the problem would worsen as more people use mobile phones and digital services.
To solve this, the NCC is creating a central platform, or gateway, through which all international bulk text messages must pass through.
The agency said this would help to monitor messages in real time, ensure proper fees are paid, and make sure the money stays in Nigeria where it can contribute to the economy.
As part of the incoming change, service providers must follow strict rules, including strong data protection, spam filters, and message encryption.
Also, they must also work with local mobile networks and make sure all messages come from a verified sender
The NCC warned that any message without a proper sender ID will be blocked and not delivered to users.
To protect users from unwanted texts, the new rules say companies must get clear permission before sending any promotional content.
The rule also says people must also be able to choose whether they want to receive such messages or not.
Companies are now required to keep records of all messages for at least six months and must clearly state all charges involved.
The NCC said fees for help requests, cancellations, or service info must be transparent and not include hidden charges.
The commission will issue licences to several providers to encourage healthy competition but may limit new licences if needed.
Only companies that show they can stop fraud and safely deliver messages will be allowed to operate. They must also regularly report their message traffic and finances to the NCC.
It warned that any company that breaks the rules risks getting fined, suspended, or having its licence revoked.
Offences like charging illegal tariffs, ignoring security rules, or avoiding taxes will be punished, the NCC said.
The commission added that the new rules follow the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023 and support the federal government’s goal of strengthening cybersecurity and controlling Nigeria’s digital space.
The framework will also be reviewed from time to time to keep up with new technology and market trends.
Telecom
MTN Nigeria Targets $1Bn Cloud Market with Largest Modular Data Centre

MTN Nigeria has launched what it claims is the country’s largest prefabricated modular data centre, marking a bold push into the country’s fast-growing cloud market and taking aim at global giants such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria.
The shift comes as demand for cloud services in Nigeria soars — driven by the uptake of mobile apps, fintech tools and e-learning platforms — while foreign providers have become costlier in the wake of the naira’s sharp devaluation.
“This is one of the biggest data centres in West Africa and probably one of the biggest in Africa,” said Karl Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria.
He described the new Tier III-certified facility, with locally hosted cloud services, as “transformative for the technology ecosystem in Nigeria and very supportive of the federal government’s agenda”.
MTN Nigeria, the country’s largest telecoms provider, has so far invested $120m in the first phase, delivering an IT load of 4.5MW. A second phase, set to double capacity to 9MW, is budgeted at $135m.
“We already have data centres that are running our existing capacities,” Toriola said.
“We will go to 9MW in short order, possibly 14MW, and we can expand even further.”
He said the facility would allow local hosting for tech developers, large enterprises including banks and oil companies, and government agencies — markets long dominated by foreign cloud providers.
“Multinational companies such as Netflix, Facebook and Instagram can also host a lot of their data here. That improves the quality of service and reduces the cost of storage,” he added.
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