The frustration over poor network service in Nigeria has reached new heights, as millions of mobile users continue to grapple with dropped calls, sluggish internet speeds, and erratic connectivity. From Lagos to Abuja, Port Harcourt to Kano, the chorus of complaints grows louder each day — and now, the regulator has stepped in with new revelations that shed light on the problem.
In a recently released report in collaboration with broadband intelligence firm Ookla, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) confirmed that while the country’s overall network capacity for data services appears technically sufficient, there are “localized capacity restrictions” in major urban centers where user density is highest.
According to the NCC, these restrictions are directly responsible for the frustrations subscribers face daily — from dropped video calls and buffering during streaming, to failed mobile payments and slow downloads.
“Capacity restrictions are concentrated in urban zones; the impact on rural service is extremely low, reinforcing that this constraint is a localized issue tied to high-density areas,” the Commission explained.
The Urban Struggle: Too Many Users, Too Little Capacity
Industry analysts say that while telecom operators have expanded broadband infrastructure significantly in the last five years, explosive population growth in cities like Lagos and Abuja has outpaced the capacity upgrades. This means that while rural users enjoy relatively stable service, urban networks are overstretched, leading to congestion, delays, and poor quality of experience.
The NCC’s findings provide new insight into why complaints from city dwellers have surged, even after operators announced huge investments in 4G and 5G rollouts. In fact, some operators have increased data tariffs by over 50 percent within the last three months — citing rising operational costs and foreign exchange challenges — only to see service quality drop even further.
Operators’ Defense: Infrastructure Under Attack
Telecom operators, under the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), have continued to defend their performance, pointing to widespread vandalisation of fibre cables and theft of telecom equipment as primary causes of network interruptions.
In their view, maintaining consistent service quality in such an environment is a herculean task. Operators claim to record dozens of fibre cuts weekly, forcing costly rerouting of data traffic and triggering temporary network blackouts. Add to that the high cost of diesel and the unstable electricity supply, and the cost of sustaining nationwide service becomes even more daunting.
The Economist’s Take: Transparency and Policy Coordination Needed
Reacting to the NCC report, Celestine Ukpong, an economist and telecom industry analyst, said the new revelations highlight a deeper structural problem in Nigeria’s digital economy — one that goes beyond infrastructure and touches on policy coordination and market transparency.
“The NCC’s collaboration with Ookla is commendable, but it also exposes how reactive our regulatory environment has become,” Ukpong stated. “Urban network congestion didn’t happen overnight; it’s a result of years of population growth and underinvestment in digital infrastructure. Operators should have expanded capacity proactively, not wait until consumers are frustrated.”
Ukpong further argued that the frequent tariff increases without proportional service improvement undermine public confidence and contradict the principles of fair competition.
“The issue isn’t just about bandwidth or fibre cuts,” he added. “It’s about accountability. Consumers are paying more for less, and regulators must ensure operators reinvest revenues into infrastructure upgrades rather than pass costs to subscribers.”
Ukpong also called for public-private partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate broadband infrastructure deployment, particularly in high-density areas. He urged the federal government to provide tax incentives and import duty waivers on telecom equipment to ease operators’ capital expenditure burdens.
NCC’s Balancing Act: Protecting Consumers and Industry Growth
Despite acknowledging these challenges, the NCC insists that operators must meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as stipulated in their operating licenses. The Commission maintains that the consumer’s right to quality service is non-negotiable, and any breach of these standards will attract regulatory consequences.
Beyond issuing warnings, the NCC is now pushing for stronger legislative backing for telecom infrastructure protection, urging state governments to classify such assets as critical national infrastructure. This, the regulator believes, will help curb vandalisation and ensure network reliability.
The Commission also emphasized the need for coordinated infrastructure sharing among operators, to reduce duplication of fibre routes and expand capacity efficiently in high-demand zones.
The Consumer’s Cry: Paying More for Less
Meanwhile, Nigerian subscribers are losing patience. “We pay more every month, but the network keeps getting worse,” lamented a Lagos-based businesswoman. Another user from Port Harcourt noted, “It’s hard to run an online business when your internet collapses in the middle of a client call.”
Consumer groups such as the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) have urged the NCC to impose service-quality penalties on underperforming operators and to mandate compensation for prolonged downtime.
Flashback: From Success Story to Service Strain
A decade ago, Nigeria’s telecom industry was hailed as a continental success story, driving connectivity and digital inclusion. The National Broadband Plan (2020–2025) set ambitious goals to ensure 70 percent broadband penetration by 2025, promising reliable, high-speed internet for all Nigerians.
Today, that vision appears under threat. The combination of infrastructure vandalism, urban congestion, and inadequate network upgrades has turned Nigeria’s telecom growth story into one of consumer frustration.
The Path Forward
Experts, including Celestine Ukpong, believe that resolving Nigeria’s poor network crisis requires a multi-pronged, transparent, and data-driven approach.
They recommend:
- Urgent urban network expansion to match rising user density.
- Policy protection of critical telecom infrastructure nationwide.
- Collaborative infrastructure sharing to ease capacity strain.
- Tax and import incentives to reduce operators’ capital costs.
- Consumer accountability mechanisms for transparent billing and service delivery.
The NCC’s recent partnership with Ookla signals a more scientific, evidence-based regulatory shift — one that could finally pinpoint problem areas and compel operators to act. However, Nigerians are still waiting for tangible improvement.
Until the average subscriber can make a call without interruption or stream content without endless buffering, the battle of Nigerians vs Poor Network Service will continue to define the digital experience in Africa’s largest telecom market.
The NCC, in partnership with Ookla, has revealed that Nigeria’s poor network quality stems from localized capacity restrictions in urban centers. Economist Celestine Ukpong calls for transparency, policy reform, and accountability to fix the crisis as millions continue to face failed calls, buffering, and poor data speed.
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