The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has published a five-year Draft Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector, which outlines a strategic framework for radio frequency spectrum management and allocation.
The telecom regulator revealed a plan to align spectrum policy with the National Broadband Plan and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), with a focus on driving inclusive digital growth and sustainable economic development.
NCC plans to focus on four strategic pillars to steer its future spectrum choices.
The primary pillar is dedicated to closing the digital divide, prioritising universal access for approximately 23 million Nigerians living in 87 clusters that are either unserved or underserved throughout the nation.
The second pillar encourages investment based on market demands, implementing adaptable spectrum policies tailored to the changing requirements of industry stakeholders. Additionally, it considers new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and satellite direct-to-device connectivity.
Improving consumer experience forms the third pillar, as the NCC plans to set minimum data download speed thresholds and enhance Quality of Service (QoS) in both urban and rural areas by 2030.
The fourth pillar focuses on innovation, with plans to introduce regulatory sandboxes and a general authorisation framework. This will allow new technologies and ideas including autonomous vehicles and advanced space services to be tested within a controlled regulatory environment.
The Commission projected strong growth in the telecommunications sector over the roadmap period. Active mobile subscriptions are expected to increase from 171.6mn in 2025 to about 220mn by 2030, while national mobile data traffic is forecast to rise from 11.9 exabytes to 31.7 exabytes.
To support this growth, the NCC disclosed plans to release additional spectrum bands, including the 450 MHz and 600 MHz frequencies, commonly referred to as the second digital dividend.
On technology evolution, the roadmap indicates that 4G will remain Nigeria’s primary connectivity backbone nationwide, while 5G will increasingly serve as a high-capacity layer in major urban centres, enabling advanced digital services such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data-intensive applications.
The NCC also highlighted the growing economic impact of the ICT sector, noting that it contributed 17.68 percent to Nigeria’s GDP as of late 2024, with telecommunications accounting for 14.4 percent.
