By Juliet Umeh & Islamiyyah Adekanbi
The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has called for stronger protection of telecommunications infrastructure, saying sustained investment, innovation and collaboration are essential to closing Nigeria’s digital divide.
Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, made the call at the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) Innovative and Scientific Conference in Lagos.
Adebayo said the telecommunications industry had transformed Nigeria’s economy over the past 25 years, growing from fewer than 400,000 connected telephone lines before the GSM era to more than 170 million active subscriptions.
He described the sector as one of Africa’s major success stories in economic and digital transformation, noting that telecommunications now supports banking, education, healthcare, commerce, governance, security and entertainment.
