Telecoms Operators Optimistic Broadband Penetration Will Surpass 70% Target by December 2025

Emma Okonji

With barely two years to the set target date of December 2025 for achieving 70 per cent broadband penetration in Nigeria, telecoms operators under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), are optimistic that Nigeria will surpass the 70 per cent broadband penetration target.

Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo told THISDAY, that given the initial statistics of 48.28 per cent broadband penetration as at May 2023, coupled with new industry developments that may have further pushed up the statistics, there are clear chances that Nigeria would surpass the 70 per cent broadband target by December 2025.    

According to Adebayo, the former Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta had set the stage towards achieving 70 per cent broadband penetration before leaving office in October this year.

He added that the current Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, had promised to build on the achievements of his predecessor in order to achieve the set target of 70 per cent broadband penetration by 2025.

“Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) have been licensed across the six geopolitical regions of the country to deepen broadband infrastructure that will drive broadband penetration. Telecoms operators have been licensed to roll out 5G network across the country and these are indices that will further boost broadband penetration and subscriptions across the country. As at September this year, the industry statistics released by NCC, showed that in May 2023, broadband subscriptions reached 92,169,176 and broadband penetration was 48.28 per cent. Although the subscriptions and penetration dropped slightly in August this year, I am quite optimistic that the numbers have greatly increased, given what has transpired in the telecoms industry since August this year till date,” Adebayo said.  

Determined to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor in the area of broadband penetration, Maida, upon assumption of duty, had a consultative forum with telecoms industry stakeholders in Lagos last month, where he insisted that excellent quality of service, driven by broadband subscriptions and penetration, is non-negotiable, and called for industry collaboration to make this a reality.

Maida assured industry stakeholders of collaborations within the industry and commitment to transparency in the telecom ecosystem.

Speaking on broadband penetration, Maida said the commission had a very short time to achieve so much.

According to him, “A lot has been done with the infrastructure company licensing. We just have to re-imagine, look at it again, and see whether that is the right approach. We now need to start getting into the states, and perhaps we might need to sit down and see how we can do that differently. Again, on the broadband issue, we need to increase the investment.”

According to the current NCC statistics, broadband subscriptions and penetration have maintained a steady growth since December last year, until there were slight drop in June, July and August this year, a development, which Adebayo said, must have picked up again, based on industry development from August this year till date.

According to the statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NCC, as at December 2022, broadband subscriptions reached 90,398,960, with a penetration level of 47.36 per cent. In January 2023, broadband subscriptions increased to 92,011,259, with an increased penetration level of 48.20 per cent. In February 2023, broadband subscriptions increased again to 92,561,842, with an increased penetration of 48.49 per cent.

Although the statistics showed that there was a slight drop in broadband subscriptions and penetration in march and April 2023, the numbers however picked up again in May 2023 to reach 92,169,176 and 48.28 per cent in broadband subscriptions and penetration respectively.

Adebayo however said the statistics in broadband subscriptions and penetration would surpass the May 2023 figures, by the time NCC releases the latest statistics this December.