NCC’s Q4 2025 Dossier: $1 billion invested in over 2,850 new site deployments – Dr Maida

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Dr Aminu Maida has stated that over $1 billion was invested in 2025, resulting in the deployment of more than 2,850 new network sites nationwide.

The huge investment, he said, brought about remarkable network quality across the country.

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This is even as the Communications regulatory agency released its official report, reflecting adequate coverage and network capacity, resulting to stronger connectivity in urban and rural areas.
Highlighting the report at a stakeholders engagement in Abuja,

Dr. Maida said: “Today’s engagement reflects our commitment to transparent, data-driven regulation and the continuous improvement of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

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“Through our collaboration with Ookla, we are providing independent insights into real-world network performance and the lived experience of Nigerians across cities, rural communities, highways, and emerging 5G zones”.

He further explained these reports enable them to track progress, identify gaps, and guide targeted regulatory interventions—ranging from spectrum optimisation and infrastructure upgrades to quality-of-service enforcement and the expansion of rural connectivity.

The data shows clear and steady improvements in network quality, particularly in median download speeds across both urban and rural areas, especially when compared to Q3 performance. Notably, the video Quality of Experience gap between urban and rural areas has narrowed, and the strength of our 4G backbone continues to improve.

He said the industry is not without challenges, as reflected in gaps in 5G services and inequalities in upload speeds highlighted in the reports. He however, said they are actively engaging with operators to address these issues, including gaps in mobile service coverage.

Maida highlights improved Network Quality: Median download speeds have increased in both urban and rural areas, with a narrowing video Quality of Experience (QoE) gap.

Also the 4G Backbone Strengthening: Nigeria’s 4G backbone is getting stronger, supporting better connectivity while the 5G Coverage Gaps: Despite progress, gaps remain in 5G services, upload speeds, and mobile service availability.

NCC have secured commitments from operators to exceed their 2025 investment levels in 2026, with infrastructure investments continuing in earnest.

The NCC is working with operators to address these disparities, and they’ve committed to exceeding their 2025 investment levels in 2026 as it will translate these insights into better connectivity, improved service quality, and a more inclusive digital future for all Nigerians.”

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