The Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has officially reviewed the outgoing year, labelling the 2025 operating environment as challenging. Despite significant headwinds, the industry body reports that the sector not only held its ground but also pushed forward with critical network expansions and upgrades.
A Year of Resilience Against Major Headwinds
In his year-end review and projection into 2026, ATCON President, Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, detailed the multifaceted pressures that defined 2025. He stated that telecom operators, tower companies, fibre infrastructure providers, Internet service providers, and data-centre operators all grappled with a tough economic climate.
The key challenges highlighted included:
- Soaring energy costs
- Volatility in foreign exchange rates
- Difficulties in importing necessary equipment
- Persistent Right-of-Way (RoW) issues
- Ongoing risks to physical infrastructure
"Yet, the most important story of 2025 is that the industry did not retreat," Emoekpere emphasised. Instead, companies across the value chain executed strategic moves to ensure growth and service reliability.
Strategic Expansion and Government's Steadying Role
Emoekpere noted that throughout the year, telecom firms actively densified networks in high-demand areas and upgraded site power solutions. A significant shift was the accelerated adoption of solar and hybrid energy systems to improve uptime and reduce reliance on diesel.
Parallel to these private-sector efforts, government stewardship through regulation and policy was a critical pillar. Emoekpere credited the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for providing stability and predictability during a period of economic uncertainty, which was vital for sustaining investor confidence in the capital-intensive sector.
He also acknowledged the strategic direction from the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, led by Minister Bosun Tijani. Several foundational initiatives were advanced in 2025, including:
- Project BRIDGE: The proposed 90,000-kilometre open-access national fibre backbone.
- Expansion of digital inclusion programmes like Project 774, supported by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF).
- Scaling of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme for skills development.
- Advancement of Nigeria’s National AI Strategy.
A Positive Outlook for Accelerated Growth in 2026
Looking ahead, the ATCON President projected a positive and accelerated growth phase for the telecom sector in 2026. This optimism is driven by three reinforcing forces: industry-led expansion, regulatory alignment, and rising digital demand.
Operators and infrastructure providers are expected to ramp up investment across several key areas:
- Accelerating fibre rollout using open-access and wholesale models.
- Deepening infrastructure sharing for towers, fibre, and power.
- Expanding last-mile broadband via FTTH, FWA, and neutral-host solutions.
- Increasing investment in data centres and cloud-ready infrastructure.
- Improving overall network resilience and energy efficiency.
"These investments are being driven by strong demand signals from fintech, digital payments, cloud services, content platforms, AI workloads, and enterprise customers," Emoekpere explained.
He stressed that policy execution would be crucial to unlocking this potential. Key areas requiring government action include the protection of telecom assets, harmonisation of Right-of-Way charges, and a reduction in multiple taxation.
ATCON itself will focus on championing infrastructure expansion, supporting regulatory consistency, pushing for RoW harmonisation, and strengthening collaboration between industry, regulators, and security agencies to ensure a conducive environment for growth in 2026.
