This pledge is more than just a public relations statement; it is part of a high-stakes regulatory overhaul led by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
In a major shift that began in April 2026, the NCC moved from simply fining telcos to mandating direct subscriber compensation.
Under the new framework, if service quality (voice or data) falls below set benchmarks in a specific Local Government Area (LGA), operators must automatically credit the affected subscribers with airtime. You don’t have to file a complaint to get this credit;
Telcos are now required to use network monitoring data to identify and reimburse affected users. To qualify, a subscriber must have had at least one “billed activity” (a call, SMS, or data session) during the period of poor service.
The end-of-2026 deadline is tied to several massive infrastructure projects intended to fix the “structural” causes of bad signal.
This World Bank-backed initiative has begun laying nationwide open-access fiber infrastructure. The goal is to move Nigeria away from a heavy reliance on unstable mobile towers toward a more stable fiber-backed network.
Telecommunications assets have finally been designated as CNI. This gives the government more power to prosecute vandals and prevents state governments from arbitrarily shutting down base stations over tax disputes.
The NCC is currently rolling out satellite-to-phone technology specifically targeted at 23.3 million Nigerians in “black spots” where traditional towers fail.
Despite the optimism, telcos (MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile) still face significant hurdles. In early 2026, telcos recorded an average of 1,100 fibre cuts per week due to road construction and vandalism.
With the removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the Naira, the cost of powering thousands of base stations with diesel has skyrocketed, though many are now transitioning to solar.
While the government allowed tariff adjustments to ensure telcos remain profitable, the NCC has warned that “profitability must translate into performance,” or operators will face even stiffer penalties under the updated 2026 Enforcement Processes Regulations.
By the end of this year, the NCC is expected to release a “Quality of Service” leaderboard. This will allow Nigerians to see exactly which networks are failing most frequently in their specific city or LGA.
