The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says efforts are top gears to bridge identified gaps in mobile service coverage, especially 5G service.
Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, disclosed this while commenting on the Q4 2025 Network Performance Report, recently released by the Commission in Abuja.
Acknowledging that the industry is not without challenges, as reflected in gaps in 5G services and inequalities in upload speeds highlighted in the reports, Dr. Maida said the Commission is actively engaging with operators to address these issues, including gaps in mobile service coverage.
According to him, 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 4G backbone continues to improve.
He mentioned that the industry attracted over $1 billion investment in 2025 which resulted in the deployment of more than 2,850 new sites to expand both coverage and capacity nationwide. Noting that much of the progress reflected in the reports was a direct outcome of these investments.
The NCC boss also revealed that the Commission has secured commitments from operators to exceed their 2025 investment levels in 2026, with infrastructure investments continuing in earnest.
Maida said the report was strategic, as it enables the Commission 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.
Also commenting on the report, the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Abraham Oshadami, said at NCC, transparency has become a guiding principle that underpins its regulatory approach.
He said the Commission believes that open access to information strengthens the industry, builds public trust, and reinforces accountability among operators.
Adding that it was for this reason that the Commission continues to proactively share data and insights on industry performance, not only to support informed decision-making, but also to ensure that service providers remain accountable to consumers.
He recalled that last year, the Commission deepened this commitment by partnering with Ookla to develop nationwide Network Coverage Maps. These maps, according to him, provide consumers with an objective tool to compare network quality across locations and operators.
He said as part of this same partnership, the Commission commenced the publication of Quarterly Network Performance Reports, designed to offer consistent, data-driven insights into how networks are performing across the country.
In her remarks, the Head of Public Affairs Department, NCC, Mrs Nnenna Ukoha, said the Commission had in the past affirmed its commitment to accountability and transparency, and a data-driven approach in implementing its mandate.
She said part of this commitment was the drive to generate accurate, transparent, and timely data. Consequently, the Commission has the responsibility to ensure that this data is properly understood, well‑interpreted, and correctly communicated to the Nigerian public. Describing the role of the media partners as indispensable.
According to her, the objective was to deepen understanding of the NCC’s quarterly performance data and to equip the media with practical insights on how best to integrate these findings into reporting.
“In reporting industry data to Nigerians and the world, we encourage what we call constructive framing, which does not mean ignoring sectoral challenges, far from it. Rather, it means presenting issues in a way that highlights progress alongside challenges, shows the solutions being deployed, reflects the investments and innovations shaping the sector, recognizes improvements in quality of service and experience, and supports industry resilience.
“Our quarterly performance reports provide rich material for daily news coverage, feature stories, data‑driven investigative reporting, background analysis for interviews, and sector monitoring dashboards used by your newsrooms,” she said.
