BY AKANDE DAMILARE OPEMIPO
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled an ambitious plan that will enable operators to upgrade 12,000 base stations nationwide in 2026, alongside a new compensation framework for subscribers affected by poor telecom services.
The Executive Vice-Chairman of the commission, Dr.Aminu Maida, disclosed this at a media breakfast meeting in Lagos, describing the twin measures as a decisive push to tackle persistent network quality challenges across the country.
Maida said the large-scale infrastructure upgrade would significantly boost network capacity and improve service delivery, especially as demand for data continues to surge.
He noted that the telecom sector recorded modest progress in 2025, with over 300 base station upgrades, below what was required to meet growing user needs.
However, he said momentum had picked up in 2026, with about 2,800 upgrades already completed within the first few months of the year.
The planned upgrades, according to him, include expanding existing network capacity, deploying new infrastructure, and converting legacy 2G and 3G sites to more advanced 4G and 5G technologies.
He added that additional spectrum had been allocated to enhance 4G performance, while underutilised frequency bands were being optimized through strategic reallocation.
Describing spectrum as the “highways” of telecommunications, Maida said increased availability would directly translate to improved data speeds and network efficiency.
He also pointed to recent spectrum trading among operators as a contributing factor to better service performance in some regions.
Despite the progress, the NCC boss warned that improvements in infrastructure might not immediately reflect in user experience due to the rapid growth in data consumption driven by digital platforms and changing user behaviour.
“When service improves, usage increases, and that can quickly lead to renewed congestion if expansion is not sustained,” he said.
Maida emphasised that long-term stability in the sector would depend heavily on continuous investment in fibre optic infrastructure, which he described as the most viable solution for delivering high-speed, affordable internet to homes, schools, and public institutions.
On consumer protection, the NCC boss announced that it would begin compensating subscribers for poor service delivery through airtime credits.
The compensation, he explained, is based on quality-of-service assessments conducted at the local government level, a shift from the previous state-level monitoring aimed at capturing more accurate user experiences.
The initial phase of compensation will cover service lapses recorded between November 2025 and January 2026, with subsequent periods to follow after verification. Subscribers, he said, would be notified once the process begins, according to him
Maida clarified that the compensation is not a refund but a regulatory penalty imposed on operators for failing to meet established service benchmarks.
He added that independent verification mechanisms had been put in place to ensure transparency and accountability.
The NCC’s EVC stressed that the combined strategy of aggressive infrastructure expansion and consumer compensation was designed to enhance service quality and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.
