Telcos seek stronger infrastructure protection to bridge Nigeria’s digital divide

By Juliet Umeh & Islamiyyah Adekanbi

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has called for stronger protection of telecommunications infrastructure, saying sustained investment, innovation and collaboration are essential to closing Nigeria’s digital divide.

Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, made the call at the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) Innovative and Scientific Conference in Lagos.

Adebayo said the telecommunications industry had transformed Nigeria’s economy over the past 25 years, growing from fewer than 400,000 connected telephone lines before the GSM era to more than 170 million active subscriptions.

He described the sector as one of Africa’s major success stories in economic and digital transformation, noting that telecommunications now supports banking, education, healthcare, commerce, governance, security and entertainment.

According to him, every digital payment, online learning platform, telemedicine service and government digital platform relies on telecommunications infrastructure.

Adebayo said operators had invested billions of dollars in mobile networks, fibre infrastructure, data centres, cloud platforms and 5G deployment, but noted that challenges including multiple taxation, inconsistent Right-of-Way policies, vandalism, high energy costs and regulatory bottlenecks continued to affect growth.

He said the focus of the industry had moved beyond expanding coverage to ensuring reliable, resilient and high-quality connectivity for Nigerians.

“Quality of service cannot be improved through fines and penalties alone. Network performance depends on several factors beyond operators’ control, including electricity supply, fibre cuts, vandalism, Right-of-Way challenges and insecurity,” he said.

The ALTON chairman described telecommunications infrastructure as the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy and urged citizens to protect critical assets.

He commended the Federal Government for designating telecom facilities as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII), and praised the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for what he described as a consultative approach to regulation.

On the ongoing review of Mobile Termination Rates (MTR), Adebayo said no decision had been reached, adding that the NCC was conducting an evidence-based assessment to ensure future decisions reflect economic realities, encourage competition and sustain investment in the sector.

He reaffirmed ALTON’s commitment to collaborating with government, regulators, NITRA and other stakeholders to build a telecommunications sector that is resilient, innovative, inclusive and globally competitive.

The post Telcos seek stronger infrastructure protection to bridge Nigeria’s digital divide appeared first on Vanguard News.