By FUNMILOLA GBOTEKU

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says operators will upgrade 12,000 base stations in 2026 and begin compensating subscribers for poor telecom service.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said this during a breakfast meeting with the media on Thursday in Lagos.

Maida said the planned infrastructure expansion marked a major step in addressing persistent challenges in network quality and capacity across the country.

He noted that the industry had made limited progress in 2025, with just over 300 base station upgrades recorded, a situation he said contributed to service pressure amid rising data demand.

According to him, the sector has already recorded improved momentum in 2026, with about 2,800 base station upgrades completed within the first part of the year.

He explained that the upgrades include expansion of existing site capacity, deployment of new infrastructure and conversion of legacy 2G and 3G sites to 4G and 5G technologies.

“These upgrades cover additional spectrum for 4G sites and the conversion of older networks to more advanced technologies,” he said.

Maida said the commission had also supported operators through spectrum reallocation, which allowed better utilisation of previously underused frequency bands.

He described spectrum as the “highways” of telecommunications, noting that increased availability directly improves network capacity and data performance.

According to him, recent spectrum trading in the sector has contributed to improved data speeds in some parts of the country.

Maida, however, cautioned that improvements in service quality might not immediately translate to perceived user experience due to rapidly increasing data consumption.

He said digital platforms and changing user behaviour often lead to higher demand, which could quickly place renewed pressure on upgraded networks.

“When service improves, usage increases. This often leads to congestion returning faster than expected if capacity is not continuously expanded,” he said.

The NCC boss stressed that sustained investment in fibre infrastructure remained critical for achieving long-term, affordable and high-quality internet access.

He said fibre deployment was the most viable solution for delivering large-scale, unlimited connectivity to homes, schools and public spaces.

Maida added that the commission was closely monitoring network performance indicators such as data speed and latency to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

On consumer protection, he said the NCC had introduced a compensation framework to address service shortfalls experienced by subscribers.

He explained that affected users would receive airtime credits based on quality of service assessments conducted at the local government level.

“We have moved monitoring from the state level to the local government level to better reflect the real experience of subscribers,” he said.

Maida said the compensation covers service performance between November 2025 and January 2026, with subsequent periods to be processed after validation.

He added that subscribers would receive notifications once the rollout begins, following completion of verification processes.

According to him, the compensation is a regulatory penalty on operators for failing to meet defined service quality benchmarks, not a refund.

Maida said independent verification mechanisms have been introduced to ensure transparency and accountability in the process.

He emphasised that the combined approach of infrastructure expansion and consumer compensation was aimed at improving service delivery and restoring confidence in the telecom sector. (NAN)

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