The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is stepping up efforts to address competition concerns in the telecommunications industry, as smaller operators raise concerns about the growing influence of major mobile network providers in Nigeria’s internet market.
The regulator is relying on a competition study conducted with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to identify barriers preventing smaller operators from competing effectively and determine whether targeted regulatory measures are needed to protect competition.
At the second stakeholder engagement forum on the Study of the Level of Competition in the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry, held in Lagos on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, the NCC said its approach would be guided by market evidence rather than the size of individual companies.
According to a report by The Sun published on October 28, NCC Head of Competition and Tariff, Omotayo Mohammed, explained that the study was designed to examine market concentration, barriers to entry and expansion, control over essential infrastructure, operator conduct and the level of choice available to consumers.
The commission stressed that having Significant Market Power (SMP) does not automatically mean an operator has engaged in anti-competitive behaviour. Instead, the findings will help determine whether market conditions or particular business practices are making it difficult for competitors to enter or expand.
Providing an update on the research, Mary Iwelumo, a partner at PwC Nigeria, said the preliminary assessment covered six broad market segments and 17 subsegments.
The study had identified operators with significant market power in six subsegments, while no such operators had been identified in two others. Work on the remaining nine subsegments was still ongoing, and the findings remained preliminary because data collection and analysis had not been completed.
The commission said any intervention would be proportionate and targeted, with the aim of preserving competition while encouraging investment, innovation, better service quality and improved consumer value.
The review comes amid concerns from independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that dominant tier-1 mobile network operators, most notably MTN and Airtel, are rapidly expanding into fixed broadband services, including fibre-to-the-home connections, which have traditionally provided essential revenue opportunities for smaller providers.
The NCC is also pursuing reforms aimed at making it easier for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) to enter the market. These companies provide mobile services using the network infrastructure of established operators rather than building their own nationwide radio networks.
The commission published draft business rules for MVNO operations in May 2026 and subsequently held a public inquiry on the proposals in July. The proposed rules include timelines for host network operators to acknowledge onboarding requests and conclude commercial and technical agreements, alongside provisions intended to make access and pricing more transparent.
Under the proposed framework, host operators would be required to acknowledge requests within 10 days, while commercial and technical agreements would generally have to be concluded within 120 days. The rules are intended to reduce delays and prevent restrictive onboarding practices from frustrating new entrants.
The NCC is also reviewing mobile termination rates, the wholesale charges operators pay to connect calls across different networks. In June 2026, the commission announced a separate consultancy study to examine interconnection pricing, retail price controls and arrangements designed to support smaller operators.
Industry stakeholders have called for protective measures, including asymmetric termination rates, to be maintained where necessary to help smaller operators compete. However, the outcome of the review will depend on the NCC’s assessment of costs, market conditions and the evidence submitted by operators.
The broader challenge for the regulator is to ensure that Nigeria’s telecoms market remains open to competition without discouraging the investment needed to expand networks and improve services.
For consumers, effective competition could create more choices in internet access and mobile services. For smaller providers, the impact will depend on whether the NCC’s proposed measures translate into fairer access to infrastructure, workable wholesale prices and fewer barriers to reaching customers.
