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