The Nigerian Communications Commission has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an extensive assessment of competition in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector amid rising concerns about market dominance and the long-term viability of fair competition.
This disclosure was made on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ forum on the Study of Competition in the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry held in Lagos.
The move comes as the telecoms sector remains a key pillar of Nigeria’s digital economy, accounting for 9.1 per cent of the country’s GDP in the third quarter of 2025.
The Commission said the study aims to assess existing competition policies in light of current market realities, following major structural and technological shifts within the industry.
Speaking at the forum, the Head of Tariff, Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis at the NCC, Mrs Omotayo Mohammed, said the review had become necessary due to the rapid evolution of the telecommunications market.
She noted that changes in revenue models, investment trends, and market interactions have significantly reshaped the competitive landscape of the sector.
According to her, rapid technological advances, evolving consumer behaviour, rising investment costs, and intensifying competitive pressures have deepened concerns about market concentration, barriers to entry, and the long-term sustainability of smaller operators.
“To support evidence-based decision-making, the Commission has engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct an independent, data-driven study on the level of competition in the Nigerian telecoms industry.
“The engagement reflects the Commission’s emphasis on methodological rigour, analytical independence, and alignment with international best practice in competition and economic analysis,” she said.
Mohammed explained that the Commission’s last comprehensive, industry-wide competition study was completed in 2013, with subsequent assessments focusing only on specific services and market segments.
She said recent changes in technology, market structure, and consumer behaviour now call for a comprehensive reassessment of competition across the entire telecommunications value chain.
Mohammed stressed that the ongoing study is diagnostic and evidence-based, noting that it is not designed to pre-empt conclusions or target any specific operator.
Also speaking at the forum, the Director of Strategy at PwC Network, Akolawole Odunlami, described the study as timely in light of slowing growth and structural changes in the global telecommunications industry.
He said the global telecoms market is expected to reach about $1.3 trillion by 2028, but annual growth has eased to between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, down from roughly 4 per cent year-on-year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Odunlami noted that although subscriber numbers in sub-Saharan Africa are still growing, many operators are grappling with declining average revenue per user, which has intensified competition and strained traditional business models.
He explained that consumer behaviour has also shifted, with users increasingly adopting a digital-first mindset and demanding connectivity-enabled experiences beyond basic voice or data services.
“Today’s consumers are not just buying data; they are looking for digital experiences such as entertainment, financial services, self-service applications and social connectivity, with data serving as the backbone,” he said.
Odunlami added that telecom operators worldwide are re-evaluating their business models by incorporating lifestyle services such as utilities, healthcare, and fintech into their platforms, while Over-The-Top (OTT) services like WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams continue to undermine traditional voice and messaging revenues.
He also noted that emerging technologies, including 5G and future 6G networks, are expected to further transform competitive dynamics in the sector.
The competition study comes as the telecoms market begins to admit new entrants in the form of Mobile Virtual Network Operators.
While these newly licensed operators are expected to rely on the existing infrastructure of mobile network operators, stakeholders have raised concerns that competitive pressures in the market could constrain their growth and viability.
