{"id":2180,"date":"2026-07-18T22:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T22:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=2180"},"modified":"2026-07-18T22:43:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T22:43:24","slug":"broadband-ncc-designs-wholesale-fibre-market-guidelines-for-fair-pricing-improved-digital-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=2180","title":{"rendered":"Broadband: NCC designs wholesale fibre market guidelines for fair pricing, improved digital economy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>*<strong><em>The Nigerian Communications Commission seeks &#8216;wholesale fibre market&#8217; to provide transparent pricing, ensure network operators access needed digital infrastructure on fair terms towards accelerating economic growth in the West African country <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect<\/p>\n<p>As the country moves to maximise the gains of digital economy for enhanced national development, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has emphasised the need for &#8216;wholesale fibre market&#8217; to unlock digital infrastructure and accelerate economic growth.<\/p>\n<p><em>ConsumerConnect<\/em> gathered Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC\/CEO) of NCC, said this Thursday, July 17, 2026, at the BusinessDay 2026 CEO Forum, in Lagos.<\/p>\n<p><strong>From improved connectivity to digital infrastructure support for national productivity <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maida said Nigeria had reached a stage where attention should shift from expanding connectivity to ensuring digital infrastructure supports productive sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"E7K9B0cJC5\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=2153\">Virtual Assets: Tinubu signs Order, approves Council to harmonise regulation of Nigeria Digital Economy<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cVirtual Assets: Tinubu signs Order, approves Council to harmonise regulation of Nigeria Digital Economy\u201d \u2014 Consumer Experience Is A Top Priority\" src=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?p=2153&amp;embed=true#?secret=LB0RsKyCAR#?secret=E7K9B0cJC5\" data-secret=\"E7K9B0cJC5\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Highlighting the strategic importance of sustainable deployment of digital infrastructure, the EVC\/CEO of the telecoms sector regulatory Commission asserted that digital technology should increasingly drive key sectors of the Nigerian economy.<\/p>\n<p>These sectors, he stated, include healthcare, education, agriculture, manufacturing, and other industries that improve national productivity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Maida: Over 180m active telecoms connections in Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Recalling what used to be in telecommunications in the country, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Commission recalled that Nigeria liberalised its telecoms sector year 2000 with fewer than 500,000 telephone lines.<\/p>\n<p>Maida, however, disclosed the country currently has over 180 million active telecom connections, creating opportunities to deepen digital inclusion and economic transformation.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, the country already has extensive fibre infrastructure, contrary to the perception that connectivity was unavailable in many states.<\/p>\n<p>He averred: \u201cWe actually do have connectivity, especially fibre, but what we do not have is a framework that enables fair and transparent access to that infrastructure.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The EVC\/CEO of NCC equally explained that the absence of a wholesale market has limited the access of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to existing fibre networks in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>The NCC is currently developing a wholesale market framework that will provide transparent pricing, and ensure operators access digital infrastructure on fair terms, noted he.<\/p>\n<p>Maida said such a framework will encourage more investment, improve Broadband penetration, and reduce the cost of Internet services.<\/p>\n<p>He observed that although fibre existed across Nigeria, about 85 percent of ISPs operated mainly in Lagos, and other urban centres.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, expanding access outside major cities will help to bridge regional inequalities in digital connectivity and affordability.<\/p>\n<p>He said more data centres should also be established outside Lagos to strengthen digital resilience and improve access to cloud services nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>The Chief Executive of the Commission further said: \u201cWe need to start taking this infrastructure and putting it into action.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is about using technology to improve productivity and grow the economy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Maida noted that digital infrastructure should serve both commercial and public interests by supporting healthcare, education, and other essential services.<\/p>\n<p>He emphasised that market forces alone could not guarantee equitable outcomes without regulatory measures that promote fair competition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs regulators, we guide the market towards efficiency by creating conditions that encourage competition and improve access,\u201d Maida stated.<\/p>\n<p>The EVC\/CEO of the Commission, therefore, reaffirmed the NCC&#8217;s commitment to policies that would expand Broadband access, promote investment and ensure digital infrastructure benefits all Nigerian consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Maida as well hinted at stronger competition to lower costs, improve service quality to consumers, and narrow affordability gaps across various parts of Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>*The Nigerian Communications Commission seeks &#8216;wholesale fibre market&#8217; to provide transparent pricing, ensure network operators access needed digital infrastructure on fair terms towards accelerating economic&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_customify_content_layout":"","_customify_sidebar":"","_customify_page_header_display":"default","_customify_disable_header":"","_customify_disable_header_top":"","_customify_disable_header_main":"","_customify_disable_header_bottom":"","_customify_disable_page_title":"","_customify_disable_content_vertical_padding":"","_customify_disable_footer_top":"","_customify_disable_footer_main":"","_customify_disable_footer_bottom":"","_customify_breadcrumb_display":"","_customify_header_transparent_display":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,4,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights","category-markets","category-regulators"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCC-and-Tower-Infrastructure-2.png",672,350,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCC-and-Tower-Infrastructure-2-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCC-and-Tower-Infrastructure-2-300x156.png",300,156,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCC-and-Tower-Infrastructure-2.png",672,350,false],"large":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCC-and-Tower-Infrastructure-2.png",672,350,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCC-and-Tower-Infrastructure-2.png",672,350,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NCC-and-Tower-Infrastructure-2.png",672,350,false]},"author_info":{"info":["ConsumerConnect"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=20\" rel=\"category\">Highlights<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=4\" rel=\"category\">Markets<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/?cat=8\" rel=\"category\">Regulators<\/a>","tag_info":"Regulators","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2180"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2191,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2180\/revisions\/2191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/consumerconnectng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}