The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, has declared that the goal of the Commission is for consumers to be consistently satisfied with telecom services, reports ITREALMS.
According to him, this theme was timely, as internet use has become essential to daily life, and "our role at the NCC is to not only ensure accessibility but to enhance service delivery for consumers."
Over the past two decades, Dr. Maida said, the telecommunications landscape in Nigeria has transformed from basic voice services to high-speed data that connects, informs, and powers innovations.
"With the rollout of 3G, 4G, and now 5G, we’ve seen Nigerians adopting social media, e-commerce, online banking, and more. The introduction of 3G networks in the mid-2000s marked the beginning of this shift, enabling basic browsing and email. The leap to 4G LTE brought faster speeds, enabling video streaming, online gaming, and a myriad of digital activities. Now, with 5G promising even faster speeds and lower latency, new frontiers are opening for innovations such as smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and the Internet of Things, driving further demand for data.
"Today, as data consumption grows, fueled by digital advancements, we must address consumer concerns over data depletion and billing transparency," he said.
He cited instance with DataReportal study, which noted that there are now over 5 billion internet users, with Nigeria alone accounting for 132 million connections.
Nigerians, he quoted the study as indicating that spend an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes on social media daily, far above the global average, which underscored how deeply embedded digital interaction is today.
"In 2024, Nigeria’s daily data usage averaged 336 gigabytes per second, marking a 39 per cent increase from the previous year—a clear indication of the data-driven lifestyle many Nigerians lead.
"Despite this, many consumers feel their data depletes faster than expected, echoing a sentiment I hear often. Nigeria isn’t alone in this; other countries, like Eswatini, are also working to address similar consumer concerns about data usage," EVC said.
Earlier this year, he revealed that NCC analyzed consumer complaints, showed that data depletion and billing issues as top concerns. Stressing that they have since directed Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to conduct audits of their billing systems, which reported no major issues.
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