Nigeria has achieved 79.65% teledensity, 48.81% broadband penetration – NCC

…reviews new licensing framework

By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Thursday, said the country has attained 79.65 percent teledensity and 48.81 percent broadband penetration as of May 2025.

This was revealed during a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja where the Commission unveiled a draft licensing regime, the General Authorisation Framework, aimed at boosting innovation and accommodating new technologies within Nigeria’s telecoms sector.

Speaking at the forum, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, represented by the Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said the new framework was designed to respond to the fast-changing digital economy and support startups, new service models, and emerging technologies.

“We are at a turning point where the nature of innovation demands a regulatory approach that is enabling and forward-looking,” Maida said.

The draft introduces three instruments: Proof-of-Concept for piloting ideas, Regulatory Sandbox for controlled testing, and Interim Service Authorisation for services that fall outside existing license categories.

Director of Licensing and Authorisation at NCC, Mr. Usman Mamman, said the framework was informed by research and global benchmarking from countries like the UK and Singapore.

“This new approach will support experimentation and responsible deployment while safeguarding market integrity,” Mamman noted, urging stakeholders to contribute feedback before finalisation.

During the forum, Head of Telecoms Law and Regulations at the NCC, Dr. Mohammed Yusuf, also presented stakeholder input from groups like the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF) and MTN Nigeria.

ICAF called for clearer consumer protection measures, redress mechanisms, and limits on the scope of authorisations, while MTN raised concerns about overlap between temporary and permanent licences, calling for more specific guidelines.

Yusuf assured participants that the final framework will reflect stakeholder concerns and align with national digital policies.

The Commission emphasised that the General Authorisation Framework remains a draft and is open to public review.

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