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LAGOS – Almost 25 years after the telecom revolution in Nigeria, with the entry of Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communications, network operators are still struggling to fast-track deployment of quality broadband services in the rural areas which continue to experience significant broadband access gaps.
The development falls short of expected proactive measures to be taken by the Federal Government and other industry stakeholders to offer reliable and affordable broadband services to every nook and cranny of the country.
According to the industry regulator, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in its 2025 report, broadband access in rural Nigeria dragged significantly behind urban areas, with rural communities reaching just 23% internet access compared to 57% in urban centers.
This stark digital divide means millions of people living outside major cities are economically invisible and cut off from the modern digital economy.
Corroborating NCC’s position, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said the access gap in rural areas have continued to widen, despite all assurances given by the Federal Government over the years on rural telephony.
According to Adebayo, “There are people who still have to move out of their compounds and environments to higher lands or hills to make calls, receive calls or send text messages.
“While we celebrate two decades of telecommunications revolution in the country, there is still a huge percentage of people that are not having seamless services in the country.
“Today, there are still some villagers who can only make use of their phones during market days because there is no network in the immediate village, unless they walk long distances to higher parts of the village or even climb a hill or mountain before they can get a signal.
“Unfortunately, the operators cannot be deploying their services massively to places that are not really viable. This is where the government and relevant agencies should come in. They can assist the service providers by reducing vandalism cases. That is why we have been calling for the protection of our infrastructure and making them Critical National Infrastructure.
“We are still grappling with the issue of multi-taxation which seems to have come to stay. If something is not done seriously about these challenges, network coverage in rural areas will continue to be a mirage.”
Despite the huge amount expended on the rural telephony initiative with little or no impact being felt by Nigerians, the Federal Government last month announced the plan to deploy about 7,000 telecom towers across Nigeria to connect 25 million unserved Nigerians to the digital economy.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said that Nigeria had made significant strides in expanding connectivity and strengthening its digital technology infrastructure over the last 25 years, and there is still a wide gap in infrastructure deficit.
According to him, “There are still millions of Nigerians on the fringes of digital transformation who are yet to have access to reliable connectivity. Many communities—particularly rural areas—face significant barriers, including inadequate infrastructure and limited digital literacy.
“These gaps not only hinder personal and business growth but also limit the full potential of Nigeria’s digital economy.
“Some of our flagship initiatives to close this divide include: Project BRIDGE (90,000km Fibre Optic Expansion), which is designed to significantly improve broadband penetration across Nigeria by extending fibre optic infrastructure to all regions.”
The lack of mobile networks in many rural areas which the rural telephony scheme would have addressed has been creating huge gaps in many communities, depriving the people from enjoying digital services.
For instance, in the past couple of years, the financial system in Nigeria has been leveraging technology to bridge the gap and provide accessibility to underserved communities. Point-of- Sale (POS) machines have taken some form of banking services to the unbanked.
However, the deployment of banking and other forms of services also require telecommunication infrastructure, which is lacking in many rural communities in Nigeria.
Though efforts are being made by the network operators to deploy quality services in rural areas, industry challenges have continued to limit their deployment expansion.
High deployment and power costs contribute to their limited operations, as rural areas lack reliable electricity. For them to run telecom base stations on diesel generators can make cost up over 30 percent more expensive than in cities.
There is also a high possibility of vandalism and damage on their network equipment.
Over the years, concerns are being raised by telecom companies, as they face thousands of fibre optic cable cuts and equipment thefts each year, which slows down expansion plans. This development persists despite the Federal Government Executive Order on protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).
Consideration of rural area customers’ economic power has made operators hesitate in deploying services in rural areas, as many rural residents live in poverty and cannot afford expensive internet packages or smartphones.
However, in a bid to bridge the widening gap, the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy has approved the installation of thousands of rural towers. The ministry also aims to build at least 1,000 new rural telecom towers to help link remote populations. With its Project BRIDGE initiative, it will be expanding Nigeria’s fibre optic network by 90,000 kilometres. The goal is to stretch internet cables across all local government areas and wards.
As part of its satellite solution, the government-owned NIGCOMSAT has partnered with private companies to use satellite technology to reach areas where laying fibre cables is too difficult.
Because the missed 70 percent target in its 2020-2025 broadband plan among other missed old targets, the NCC came up with a new five-year broadband strategy tagged 3025-2030 Plan.
This new plan will place a major focus on satellite Direct-to-Device (D2D) services to easily hook up rural phones directly to satellites.
