NCC To Review 26-Year-Old Telecom Policy

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has initiated a far-reaching review of the National Telecommunications Policy (NTP) 2000, nearly three decades after the framework first set the direction for the country’s liberalised telecom market.

The Commission said on Monday that it has released a consultation document and is inviting submissions from operators, investors, technology experts, and other stakeholders to help reshape the policy in line with current realities.

According to the regulator, rapid changes in digital services, broadband deployment, satellite communications, and internet governance have outpaced several provisions of the existing framework, making an update necessary to sustain growth and innovation in the industry.

The NCC noted that the 2000 policy itself emerged from the need to replace an earlier system that had become ineffective. It introduced reforms such as market liberalisation, expanded stakeholder participation, and centralized regulatory oversight under the Commission, helping Nigeria transition from state dominance to a private-sector-led environment.

Reflecting on the era before liberalisation, the Commission stated, “Before the liberalisation, midwifed by the NTP, Nigeria’s telecommunications sector was dominated by the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, which was a government-owned monopoly.

“NITEL was reputably characterized by obsolete equipment, poor quality of service, and low teledensity,”

The reforms that followed triggered major milestones, including the licensing of GSM operators in the early 2000s. Mobile access spread rapidly across the country, overtaking fixed telephone lines and redefining the market.

The policy also laid the foundation for the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, which expanded the NCC’s powers and strengthened regulatory certainty. Over time, telecommunications became one of the economy’s most active sectors, attracting foreign investment and supporting the growth of digital trade and electronic payments.

Despite these gains, the Commission said new technologies particularly broadband-based services