The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered tower companies to urgently improve internet service quality by the end of August or risk penalties.
At a recent Abuja meeting, NCC Executive Vice Chairman Aminu Maida directed major tower infrastructure providers, including IHS Towers, American Tower Corporation (ATC), and Pan-African Towers, to resolve problems like poor power supply, equipment failures, and lack of technical support that are hurting internet quality. Tower companies, known as TowerCos, own and maintain the cell towers that mobile operators like MTN, Airtel, and Glo rely on for network coverage. When towers experience power outages or technical faults, it causes dropped calls and slow data, frustrating millions of users.
IHS Towers leads the market with around 62% of Nigeria’s telecom towers, followed by ATC and Pan-African Towers. The NCC’s new directive came after it expanded its Quality of Service regulations in August 2024 to include TowerCos, requiring them to meet strict performance standards. Maida emphasized that financial disputes between mobile operators and tower companies are no excuse for poor service, insisting all parties must meet their technical and financial obligations.
The NCC is also boosting transparency by launching a Major Incident Reporting Portal and plans to publish performance dashboards online so consumers can track how well providers meet their targets. This set to improve network reliability and internet experience for Nigerians, especially as digital connectivity becomes ever more crucial for work, education, and social life.
If tower companies fail to act before the August deadline, fines and stricter enforcement could follow, which at the end will reshape Nigeria’s internet landscape for the better.
