NCC: Telecom operators spent over $1 billion on new tower sites, fibre optic cables, others in 2025

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that telecom operators deployed infrastructure worth more than $1 billion into the industry in 2025. This was disclosed by the NCC EVC, Dr Aminu Maida, while commenting on the Q4 2025 Network Performance Reports.

For the Nigerian telecoms industry, the investment forms part of the telcos’ commitment to stretching connectivity nationwide following the tariff adjustment. Recall that following the 50% hike in January 2025, operators noted that the increase would boost their operational performance and investment strategies.

The NCC Boss noted that the over $1 billion investment resulted in the deployment of over 2,850 new sites to expand both coverage and capacity nationwide. He added that the improvement revealed in the Q4 network performance report“is a direct outcome of these investments.”

However, the report presented a mixed turn of performance. While connectivity penetration increased in rural areas, the 5G network is still behind.

On the positive side, remote areas experienced improved network performance, with an overall download speed now averaging 11.0 Mbps. A year ago, the rate stood at 8.5 Mbps. 

However, 5G still had a coverage gap of 55% in Nigeria. Lagos and FCT Abuja, the country’s major cities, recorded 5G coverage of 27% and 31%, respectively, leaving the majority of capable smartphones on 4G. 

In its efforts to bridge these gaps, Maida said the commission has “secured commitments from operators to exceed their 2025 investment levels in 2026, with infrastructure investments continuing in earnest.”

He also pledged that the NCC “looks forward to continued collaboration with industry stakeholders as we translate these insights into better connectivity, improved service quality, and a more inclusive digital future for all Nigerians.”

Earlier in his New Year’s address, the NCC boss reiterated the commission’s commitment to improving the quality of service and strengthening the network experience for Nigerians in 2026. This includes an improved voice quality and more consistent data performance in everyday use.

Also Read: NCC approves N250k authorisation fee for new telcos to test their services.

How telecoms operators invested in 2025

During the year, MTN directed several investments towards expanding 4G/5G, accelerating fibre-to-the-home rollout, and strengthening infrastructure. A highlight is the Dabengwa Data and Cloud Centre, West Africa’s largest data centre.

MTN Nigeria is also expanding its infrastructure-sharing partnership with competitors (Airtel and T2mobile) to reduce cost and boost coverage. 

For Globacom, the increase in telecom sites has fueled its position as Nigeria’s second-largest tower operator. Also, facilities such as the Glo 1 International submarine cable, which is solely owned by the company, will be pivotal to its operational excellence in 2026.

Another significant part of the telecom operator’s effort in 2025 is the acquisition of new spectrum, the addition of thousands of new LTE sites, and an expanded fibre backbone designed to reduce network glitches and handle high data consumption.

Airtel Nigeria’s capital investment more than doubled in 2025, with major spending on 5G, 4G capacity, and fibre backbone. 

In its earnings report for the 9 months ending December 2025, Airtel Africa, its parent company, noted that the group deployed over 2,500 new telecom sites and expanded its fibre network by about 4,000 kms to over 81,500km across its 14 African markets. 

Also, a report noted that MTN and Airtel invested N824.7 billion into network expansion and infrastructure development in the first half of 2025.

Amid infrastructural upgrade, telecom operators faced critical challenges with network outage caused by fibre cuts, power outage, sudden cut in oil supply to base station, bush fires, uncooperative communities and vandalism.

For operators and subscribers, these issues have a significant impact on daily operation costs and quality of service experience, respectively. 

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