The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has released the draft Spectrum Roadmap 2025 – 2030 for the Nigerian Communications Sector, which will serve as a basis for further consultation with Stakeholders.
Independent Newes Express reports that Spectrum—the range of invisible radio frequencies (RF) that carry wireless signals—is the foundation of modern digital infrastructure. It enables everything from mobile voice and data services to broadband internet, satellite communications, television broadcasting, Wi Fi, and emerging innovations like 5G, IoT, and smart city applications. As a finite national resource, spectrum must be managed strategically to maximize its value for public and economic good.
According to the NCC, over the past two decades, Nigeria has made commendable strides in digital connectivity. As of Q4 2024, the Information and Communications sector contributed an average of 17.68% to GDP (with telecommunications alone accounting for 14.4%) and recorded a growth rate of 7.40% in Q1, 2025, ranking just behind agriculture and trade. Teledensity exceeded 79% and broadband penetration stood at 48.78% as of June 2025—reflecting sustained growth even after the enforcement of the NIN-SIM linkage policy, which led to the disconnection of millions of lines not linked to the National Identification Number (NIN) in compliance with federal directives. This outcome highlights the resilience of the sector and underscores spectrum’s centrality to economic growth, digital innovation, and national competitiveness.
As digital demand accelerates and new technologies emerge, the current pace of progress must be matched with a modern, inclusive, and forward-looking spectrum management approach.
The Nigeria Spectrum Roadmap 2025–2030 charts this course—ensuring that spectrum is allocated, assigned, and utilized to deliver broad national impact, in alignment with the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).
The strategy is structured around four core pillars that reflect Nigeria’s digital ambitions: bridging the digital divide, enabling market-driven investment, enhancing quality of experience, and promoting innovation and future readiness.
These pillars serve as the backbone of the roadmap, guiding spectrum policy decisions to ensure that no community is left behind, private investment is encouraged, service quality is prioritized and Nigeria remains competitive in adopting future technologies.
To operationalize these pillars, the roadmap outlines a coordinated national approach to refarm and release critical spectrum bands, strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration, and institutionalize data-driven decision-making through improved planning, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement.
Tools and frameworks to promote spectrum sharing, resilience, and regulatory agility are also embedded into the roadmap to enhance its responsiveness to evolving market needs and global best practices while ensuring spectrum delivers maximum socio-economic benefit to the entire country.
The NCC says by 2030, “we envision a Nigeria where spectrum has:
• Enabled universal, high-speed broadband access across urban and rural areas;
• Powered inclusive digital innovation across health, education, agriculture, and commerce;
• Strengthened national security, public safety, and emergency communications;
• Positioned Nigeria as a top-tier digital economy in Africa and a model for spectrum governance globally.
“The roadmap is thus a national commitment to harness the power of spectrum for inclusive growth, digital empowerment, and long-term prosperity for all Nigerians.”
This Spectrum Roadmap represents a commitment to a dynamic and adaptive framework for spectrum anagement. The strategy acknowledges the rapidly evolving nature of the telecommunications landscape, emphasizing the need for continuous reassessment and refinement of implementation efforts. By fostering close collaboration between the government, industry stakeholders, and other partners, we aim to address emerging challenges and leverage innovative solutions to maximize the efficient use of spectrum resources.
“Our approach is rooted in inclusivity, sustainability, and adaptability, ensuring that the roadmap remains responsive to Nigeria’s unique challenges and opportunities. Through strategic deployment of spectrum, we aim to unlock the full potential of advanced wireless technologies, drive digital transformation, and bridge the digital divide, ultimately fostering socio-economic growth and improving the quality of life for all Nigerians,” the NCC says.