Mobile network operators in Nigeria have pledged to ramp up infrastructure spending in 2026, with investments expected to exceed the over $1bn (about N1.4tn) committed to the sector last year, the Nigerian Communications Commission has said.
The pledge follows a surge in capital expenditure in 2025, during which operators rolled out more than 2,850 new network sites nationwide, expanding coverage across cities, rural communities and major transport corridors, while accelerating the rollout of 5G services.
Speaking on the regulator’s latest network performance report, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said the gains recorded across key performance indicators were largely driven by last year’s heavy investments.
“In 2025, over $1bn in industry investment resulted in the deployment of more than 2,850 new sites to expand both coverage and capacity nationwide. Much of the progress reflected in today’s reports is a direct outcome of these investments,” Maida said in remarks shared with PLATFORM TIMES on Thursday.
He added, “We have secured commitments from operators to exceed their 2025 investment levels in 2026, with infrastructure investments continuing in earnest.”
Nigeria’s telecom sector is grappling with surging data demand, rising operating costs and the need to extend reliable connectivity beyond urban centres, challenges common across emerging markets. Industry players had in recent years faced financial strain, prompting calls for tariff adjustments to sustain operations.
The approval of a 50 per cent increase in service charges by the NCC and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in 2025 helped restore operators’ balance sheets, enabling a return to profitability and renewed investment momentum.
According to the NCC’s Q4 2025 report, presented virtually, the sector recorded steady improvements in median download speeds in both urban and rural areas compared with the previous quarter.
The report also showed a narrowing of the video quality experience gap between urban and rural users and continued strengthening of the country’s 4G network backbone.
“These reports enable us to track progress, identify gaps and guide targeted regulatory interventions,” Maida said, noting that independently verified data are being deployed to inform decisions on spectrum optimisation, infrastructure upgrades, quality-of-service enforcement and rural connectivity expansion.
Despite the gains, the commission acknowledged persistent gaps in 5G service availability, inequalities in upload speeds and pockets of poor mobile coverage in parts of the country.
Maida said the NCC is working closely with operators to address the shortcomings, stressing that the planned increase in infrastructure spending in 2026 would be critical to closing coverage gaps and supporting Nigeria’s fast-growing demand for digital services.
The commission added that the publication of its network performance reports forms part of its drive for transparent, data-driven regulation, enabled through collaboration with global network intelligence firm Ookla, which provides independent insights into real-world network performance and user experience.
With operators set to scale investments beyond the $1bn recorded in 2025, the NCC expressed confidence that subscribers would see continued improvements in network reliability, speed and coverage, as well as progress toward a more inclusive digital ecosystem that serves both urban and underserved communities nationwide.
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