By Juliet Umeh & Islamiyyah Adekanbi
For more than two dec-ades, Nigeria’s telecommunications operators have powered one of the country’s biggest economic success stories, connecting millions of people, driving financial inclusion and providing the digital infrastructure that supports banking, education, healthcare, commerce and governance.
However, they have come out to demand stronger government support, policy consistency and effective protection of their infrastructure, to ensure a more sustainable momentum of the gains so far recorded.
Speaking at the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association, NITRA, Innovative and Scientific Conference 2026 in Lagos, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria, ALTON, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, described the telecom sector as one of Africa’s greatest success stories in digital transformation.
Presenting a paper titled: A Chronicle of Telecom Operators’ Efforts in Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide Through Innovation: Achievements, Challenges and Future Prospects, Adebayo said the industry had grown from fewer than 500,000 connected telephone lines before GSM liberalisation in 2001 to more than 200 million active subscriptions today.
