When Vanguard published "Silent Signals: How Poor Broadband Leaves Many Nigerians Digitally Disconnected," it highlighted the human cost of Nigeria's weak internet connectivity- from anxious parents unable to reach their children, to professionals missing virtual meetings, traders losing income, and families cut off from essential digital services.
At the heart of the problem is a missing Digital Public Infrastructure, DPI, backbone; without robust nationwide infrastructure, critical digital services such as e-government platforms, digital identity systems, online education, telemedicine, and cashless payment solutions cannot expand equitably across the country.
Barely weeks later, fresh data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, appeared to offer a note of optimism. The regulator licensed six new Internet Service Providers, ISPs, to operate in Nigeria from January 1, 2026, raising the total number of licensed ISPs from 225 to 231.
On the surface, this looks like progress. But beneath the numbers lies a more troubling question: can issuing more licences truly bridge Nigeria's broadband divide- or does it simply expand access for those already connected?
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More ISPs, same locations
The newly licensed firms- Intellvision Technologies Limited, Granet Technologies Limited, Fiber Sonic Limited, Dasol Solution Services Ltd, Boost ISP Limited, and Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited- add to an already crowded ISP market.
However, NCC data reveals a familiar pattern with five of the six new licensees concentrating in Lagos, while only one operates outside Nigeria's main commercial hubs, from Owerri in Imo State.
This mirrors the findings of Vanguard's Silent Signals report: urban broadband penetration stands at about 57 per cent, while rural penetration remains as low as 23 per cent.
In effect, Nigeria is adding more internet providers -- but largely for the same cities already enjoying relatively better connectivity.
Competition meets harsh market realities
The timing of the new licences also presents challenges. Traditional ISPs are under intense pressure from mobile network operators, MNOs, such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile, which dominate retail data services with cheaper, more flexible packages.
Adding to this disruption is Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet service, which has changed conversations around speed and coverage, even though its pricing remains out of reach for most Nigerians.
The result is a paradox: Nigeria's ISP market is growing on paper, but shrinking in real impact- with rising infrastructure costs, fewer customers for smaller operators, and little commercial incentive to expand into underserved rural communities.
Licences are not the real issue
Speaking with Vanguard, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Mr. Tony Emoekpere, said the number of new licences should not be mistaken for meaningful progress.
"The addition of six new Internet Service Providers is not the determinant factor," he said. "The real question is, what are the over 200 other providers doing?"
According to Emoekpere, focusing only on licences risks ignoring deeper structural challenges,
"The concern should be about coverage, service delivery and infrastructure deployment, especially in rural and semi-urban areas," he explained.
He noted that limited commercial viability continues to discourage operators from expanding beyond major cities.
"Infrastructure is still very expensive to deploy, and operators naturally start from commercially viable areas. Only after that do they move deeper into the hinterland," he said.
Emoekpere, however, expressed optimism that federal government interventions could help- if properly implemented.
He pointed to Project BRIDGE (Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth), a major DPI initiative designed to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable across all 774 local government areas through a public-private partnership valued at about $2 billion.
The project aims to increase Nigeria's total fibre coverage to 125,000 kilometres, creating a national broadband backbone that private operators can build upon.
He also highlighted plans to deploy over 4,000 rural telephony sites nationwide, targeted at communities currently left off the digital map.
"If these two projects come on stream fully, they will significantly ease internet access challenges in rural areas," Emoekpere said.
Speaking with Vanguard, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, ATCON, Mr. Tony Emoekpere, cautioned that the issuance of new licences should not be equated with meaningful progress in broadband access. "The addition of six new Internet Service Providers is not the determinant factor," he said. "The real question is, what are the over 200 other providers doing?
"The concern should be about coverage, service delivery, and infrastructure deployment, especially in rural and semi-urban areas," he explained.
He noted that the limited commercial viability of underserved regions continues to discourage operators from expanding beyond major cities.
"Infrastructure is still very expensive to deploy, and operators naturally start from commercially viable areas. Only after those areas are covered do they move deeper into the hinterland," he said.
Despite these challenges, Emoekpere expressed optimism that federal government interventions could help bridge the connectivity gap if fully implemented. He pointed to Project BRIDGE, Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth, a major Digital Public Infrastructure, DPI, initiative aimed at deploying 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cable across all 774 local government areas through a public-private partnership valued at approximately $2 billion. The project is expected to increase Nigeria's total fibre coverage to 125,000 kilometres, establishing a national broadband backbone for private operators to leverage.
He also highlighted plans to roll out over 4,000 rural telephony sites nationwide, targeting communities currently left off the digital map. "If these two projects come on stream fully, they will significantly ease internet access challenges in rural areas," Emoekpere said.
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Incentives, not just approvals
Former Airtel Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Olu Akanmu, argued that without targeted regulatory incentives, new ISP licences will do little to change Nigeria's broadband reality.
"When you look at the newly licensed providers, five of them are based in Lagos. That already tells you where commercial incentives are driving investments," Akanmu said.
He warned that the 57 per cent versus 23 per cent urban-rural broadband gap will persist unless policy deliberately redirects investment.
"Unless the NCC introduces geographic-specific licences and incentives for under-covered areas, operators will continue clustering in profitable locations," he explained.
Akanmu suggested location-based licensing, lower fees, tax reliefs and infrastructure-sharing incentives to push connectivity into areas large operators often avoid.
Beyond licences, towards connection
As NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Aminu Maida, has repeatedly warned, weak broadband does not just slow digital systems- it breaks them, turning digital inclusion into digital exclusion.
Licensing new ISPs is not the problem. The real test is where and how broadband expansion is driven.
Until connectivity growth is deliberately pushed beyond profitable urban centres- through strong Digital Public Infrastructure, targeted incentives, rural-focused funding and firm regulatory enforcement, Nigeria's digital economy will remain loud in the cities, and silent everywhere else.
