Poor Service: Telecom Stakeholders Blame Unstable Power Supply, Fibre Cuts, Levies

Telecom industry stakeholders have blamed unreliable electricity, fibre cuts and multiple taxes and levies for the persistent poor quality of service (QoS), even as the sector has attracted more than $75 billion in investment over the past 25 years, transforming connectivity and supporting economic activities.

Despite these investments to boost infrastructure, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) ‘s consumer complaint statistics showed that the four operators covered by the data recorded 413,587 complaints between January and June 2026.

According to the data, complaints covered quality of service, billing, data depletion, failed payment transactions, top-up problems, number portability, value-added services and SIM-related issues.

Airtel recorded 228,992 complaints, followed by MTN with 124,405, Globacom with 56,810 and T2mobile, formerly 9mobile, with 3,885.

The operators reported resolving 406,938 complaints, representing 98.38 per cent of the total.

Data depletion has also remained a prominent source of subscriber frustration. The NCC figures showed that the four operators recorded 23,396 complaints specifically relating to data depletion during the six months, with MTN accounting for 12,212, Airtel 9,806, Globacom 1,373 and T2mobile five.

The issue has also generated sustained complaints and debate among subscribers on X, formerly Twitter, where users frequently raise concerns about how quickly purchased data bundles are exhausted and seek explanations from operators, with the social media discussion reflecting a consumer concern that has also appeared in the NCC’s formal complaint statistics.

Concerns about data depletion have become more significant following the telecom tariff adjustments approved by the NCC in January 2025. With subscribers paying more for connectivity, expectations have also risen for greater transparency in data consumption and improvements in service quality.

The NCC and operators have, however, attributed rapid data consumption in some cases to factors such as high-definition video streaming, automatic video playback, software updates, cloud backups, background applications, and device settings. The regulator also advises subscribers who dispute data usage to first approach their service providers and obtain complaint reference numbers before escalating unresolved cases to the NCC.

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Meanwhile, the broader complaint figures point to ongoing pressure on telecommunications infrastructure and service delivery, just as industry stakeholders have linked network performance to several factors, including fibre cuts, unreliable electricity supply, vandalism, right-of-way challenges, and multiple taxes and levies.

Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said improving quality of service required addressing the broader operating environment rather than relying solely on regulatory penalties.

“Quality of Service cannot be improved through fines and penalties alone. Network performance is directly affected by unreliable electricity supply, fibre cuts arising from road construction, vandalism, theft, Right-of-Way delays and multiple taxation,” Adebayo said.

The challenge comes against the backdrop of continuing capital expenditure by operators and other telecommunications infrastructure providers. Industry estimates put combined capital expenditure by mobile network operators, tower companies and other industry players at about N2.13 trillion in 2025, with approximately N1.86 trillion planned for 2026, covering network expansion, technology upgrades and resilience.

The scale of spending raises a broader question for the industry: whether the challenge is now simply attracting more capital or ensuring that existing and new infrastructure can withstand the pressures placed on it.

While demand for telecommunications services is rising rapidly. NCC data showed internet usage reached 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026, up from about 1.13 million terabytes in July 2025, reflecting the growing volume of traffic carried across Nigeria’s networks.

The growth in demand is placing additional pressure on fibre networks, base stations, transmission infrastructure, spectrum and data centres, while telecommunications has become increasingly embedded in financial services, commerce, education, transportation and other sectors of the economy.

Infrastructure resilience remains another major concern, even as the NCC has disclosed thousands of fibre-cut incidents, with road construction, excavation and related civil works among the causes. Such incidents can force operators to reroute traffic, undertake emergency repairs and replace damaged infrastructure, while consumers and businesses may experience slower connections or interruptions to digital services.

However, power supply presents another structural constraint. Operators run thousands of base stations and network facilities that require continuous electricity, forcing them to rely on diesel, gas, batteries and alternative energy systems where grid supply is inadequate. The resulting operating costs can reduce the funds available for network expansion and modernisation.

There are also continuing concerns over the cost and complexity of infrastructure deployment. Although the Nigerian Governors’ Forum agreed to a benchmark Right-of-Way charge of N145 per linear metre, industry stakeholders have continued to raise concerns about differing charges and administrative requirements across states.

The Federal Government has meanwhile introduced initiatives aimed at addressing some of the infrastructure gaps. The Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy’s Project BRIDGE is designed to expand open-access fibre infrastructure, while other initiatives are targeting additional connectivity and infrastructure capacity.

The NCC has also strengthened its monitoring of network performance, including assessments of quality of service and quality of experience covering issues such as speed, stability, responsiveness and regional differences in network performance.

Telecom stakeholder Teju Abolade, however, said that not every subscriber complaint can be addressed through additional infrastructure alone, particularly where the issue involves a misunderstanding of how mobile applications consume data.

Abolade said operators and regulators needed to intensify consumer education to help subscribers understand how applications and background services affect data consumption.

“What I think we need to do more is sensitisation. We need to help consumers or subscribers understand how data is consumed and depleted,” he said.

He added that greater consumer education could reduce avoidable disputes over data usage, urging the NCC and other stakeholders to use traditional and digital platforms to continuously educate subscribers.

The Executive Secretary of the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), Aliyu Yusuf Aboki, said the industry now needed to move beyond measuring telecommunications progress mainly through subscriber numbers and connectivity, towards using the infrastructure as a foundation for productivity, innovation and digital inclusion.

“The evidence of success is already clear. The more important question is how we use that foundation to drive the next phase of economic and social transformation,” Aboki said.

Similarly, Economist and Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company, Bismarck Rewane, has described telecommunications as having evolved from a conventional service industry into critical economic infrastructure that supports banking, commerce, healthcare, transportation, education, and other sectors. He said the sector’s significance should therefore be measured not only by direct investment but also by the wider economic activity enabled by connectivity.

With digital payments, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, e-commerce and remote services increasingly dependent on telecommunications infrastructure, network disruptions now have consequences beyond the telecom industry.

Hence, the central challenge is no longer simply how to attract more investment into telecommunications, but how to protect existing infrastructure, sustain the next cycle of capital expenditure and translate investment into more reliable and predictable connectivity for consumers and businesses.