Nigeria’s Telecoms Sector to Shift from Consolidation to Expansion in 2026 – ATCON

The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has projected that Nigeria’s telecoms industry will transition from a phase of consolidation in 2025 to expansion in 2026.

This was disclosed by ATCON President, Mr Tony Emoekpere, while outlining his outlook for the sector in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

The expansion is expected to be driven by renewed investor confidence, rising digital demand, and improved policy coordination.

According to him, the industry is entering 2026 with stronger fundamentals, supported by collaborative efforts among operators, regulators, and the Federal Government to deepen digital inclusion.

What the ATCON President is saying 

Emoekpere said the outlook reflects the sector’s resilience despite economic and operational pressures over the past year.

Reflecting on 2025, Emoekpere described the year as one marked by stabilisation and careful capital discipline.

He noted that telecom operators, tower companies, and internet service providers did not retreat despite challenges such as rising energy costs, foreign exchange volatility, high equipment import costs, and persistent Right-of-Way (RoW) bottlenecks.

Instead, he said industry players focused on network densification in high-demand corridors and accelerated the transition to solar and hybrid energy systems to reduce reliance on diesel.

Broadband growth and rising data demand 

According to Emoekpere, data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that Nigeria’s broadband penetration crossed the 50% mark in 2025.

• He attributed this milestone to surging data consumption, as digital payments, streaming services, cloud computing, and other online platforms became embedded in everyday life.
• He also credited the NCC with playing a key confidence-building role by maintaining transparent industry reporting, enforcing Quality of Service (QoS) standards, and ensuring efficient spectrum management.

“These actions have helped preserve investor confidence in the sector,” he said.

“If 2025 was about endurance, 2026 must be about execution, speed, and scale,” Emoekpere said, noting that rising demand from fintech, artificial intelligence, and other data-intensive sectors will drive growth.

Investment focus for 2026 

Looking ahead, Emoekpere said the industry plans to intensify investments in data centres and last-mile broadband infrastructure, including fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and fixed wireless access (FWA).

• He added that visible enforcement of telecom assets as critical national infrastructure will be a key success factor in 2026.
• He called for coordinated action to protect fibre routes and telecom towers from vandalism and other infrastructure risks, alongside the harmonisation of Right-of-Way charges across states.
• The ATCON President also underscored the need to reduce multiple taxation, which he said continues to weigh on operators.

What you should know 

Nairametrics earlier reported that Nigeria’s broadband penetration crossed 50% in November for the first time since the country started the implementation of the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP 2020-2025).

Despite that, the country will be missing the Plan’s target of 70% broadband penetration by the end of 2025.

According to the NCC data, there were a total of 109.6 million broadband connections in Nigeria as of November. This put the country’s broadband penetration at 50.58%, a 0.69% increase from the 49.89% recorded in October.

The data shows the country has grown broadband penetration by only 6.15% so far this year as the penetration level stood at 44.43% at the end of 2024.

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