Oluwatobi Adu 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) projects a strong rebound in Nigeria’s telecom sector in 2026, driven by accelerated digital demand, infrastructure expansion and renewed investor confidence.
ATCON President, Mr Tony Emoekpere, presents the outlook on Tuesday in Lagos while speaking with journalists on industry performance and expectations for the coming year.
Emoekpere says the sector enters 2026 with optimism following a stabilisation phase in 2025 marked by resilience rather than contraction, despite significant operational challenges.
“Instead of retreating, telecom operators, tower companies and internet service providers focus on network densification in high-demand corridors and transition to solar and hybrid energy systems to reduce diesel dependency,” he says.
He attributes industry momentum to unprecedented growth in data consumption, fuelled by digital payments, video streaming, cloud computing and emerging artificial intelligence workloads.
According to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), broadband penetration exceeds 50 per cent in 2025, a milestone Emoekpere describes as critical to sustaining long-term growth.
He commends the NCC for regulatory transparency, quality-of-service enforcement and effective spectrum management, noting that these measures help retain investor confidence amid foreign exchange volatility and equipment import constraints.
Emoekpere also highlights policy initiatives under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, led by Mr Bosun Tijani, including the proposed 90,000-kilometre national fibre backbone, Project 774 for rural connectivity and the three-million technical talent programme. “If 2025 is about endurance, 2026 must be about execution, speed and scale,” he says.
He adds that infrastructure protection, harmonised right-of-way charges and reduced multiple taxation remain critical to unlocking sector-wide expansion.
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Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Mirian Gom 
Hussaini Ibrahim