Telecom Service Providers and Poor Service Delivery in Nigeria: Issues for Legislative Intervention

Abstract

Nigeria, Africa’s largest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) market, plays a very critical role in promoting economic growth and connecting millions of individuals across the continent. Telecommunication service providers such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile grapple with significant challenges in service delivery, evident in frequent network disruptions, slow internet speeds, dropped calls, and poor customer support. These issues are driven by aging and poorly maintained infrastructure, insufficient investment in network expansion, especially in rural areas, unreliable power supply, rampant vandalism, and theft of telecom equipments. Further complicating the situation are fragmented right-of-way policies, regulatory bottlenecks, rising operational costs from energy, foreign exchange shortages, and inadequate skilled personnel. Despite efforts by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to enforce quality-of-service standards and expand telecom access, service quality remains below expectations. This persistent poor service delivery adversely affects key/critical sectors such as economy, education, and healthcare, underscoring the urgent need for robust legislative intervention. Sequel to the current state of affairs in the sector, the following recommendations are proposed:  The National Assembly may wish to enact a harmonized framework that incentivizes States to adopt the National Shared Right of Way (RoW) policy, utilizing a standardized fee schedule and a 'Dig Once' mandate to reduce deployment costs and protect public infrastructure.  NASS also may wish to strengthen legal frameworks to ensure quality of service, including regular audits and enforceable penalties to ensure consistent and reliable network performance.  NASS may wish to enhance laws especially the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 that safeguard subscribers' rights by ensuring prompt complaint resolution (within 3-5 days), compensation for service disruptions, data privacy protections, and prohibitions against unfair commercial practices.