The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called upon telecom companies in Nigeria to foster collaboration and share infrastructure as a means to reduce costs and enhance service delivery for mobile phone users nationwide. The recommendation was made by the NCC’s Executive Vice-Chairman, Aminu Maida, during the recent West African Telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition held in Lagos.
Maida underscored the significant expense associated with building telecom infrastructure and advocated for public-private partnerships, infrastructure funds, and innovative financing models to address these challenges. Despite Nigeria boasting over 219 million mobile subscribers, disparities in service distribution and limited infrastructure in certain regions persist. The NCC believes that infrastructure sharing presents a viable solution to these issues, fostering growth and innovation within the telecom sector.
In addition to infrastructure sharing, the NCC emphasized the importance of embracing new technologies to optimize network performance and enhance customer service. Telecom operators are encouraged to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for predictive maintenance, network optimization, and customer service enhancement.
Furthermore, the development of “smart infrastructure” is deemed essential to support smart city applications such as traffic management and public safety solutions. Nigeria is at the forefront of technological advancements, with the rollout of 5G technology poised to revolutionize connectivity by offering faster speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity. This next-generation technology enables transformative applications like the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, and smart cities, positioning Nigeria for continued technological advancement and economic growth.
