With Nigeria set to miss its 70 per cent broadband penetration target for 2025, authorities are already planning a new five-year strategy to accelerate internet connectivity across the country.
The second National Broadband Plan (2020–2025), which expires in two days, aimed to achieve 70 per cent broadband reach nationwide. However, latest statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) show that the country currently sits at 50.58 per cent, leaving a 19.42 per cent gap.
Analysis of NCC data indicates that from January to November 2025, broadband penetration increased by only 4.97 per cent, rising from 45.61 per cent at the start of the year to the current 50.58 per cent. Given this slow growth, it is now evident that the 2025 target will not be met.
In response, Nigeria is preparing for a third National Broadband Plan, expected to guide internet expansion from 2025 to 2030. The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, confirmed the development, stating, “The Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020–2025), which expires this year, has already prompted engagements with our Ministry on a third iteration”.
Meanwhile, attention is turning to satellite-powered mobile connectivity as a key solution to underserved areas. The NCC is exploring Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite services, which could significantly expand coverage, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach regions.
This initiative forms part of the NCC’s draft Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector (2025–2030), which highlights non-terrestrial networks as a critical complement to traditional mobile infrastructure. Factors such as geography, security challenges, and high deployment costs have left millions of Nigerians underserved.
Earlier this year, Communications Minister, Bosun Tijani noted that 4,834 communities, mostly rural, still lack basic mobile connectivity. In April, the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) reported that while the number of unserved and underserved Nigerians fell from 36.8 million in 2013 to 23 million last year, these individuals are still spread across over 3,000 communities that remain without reliable mobile services.
Secretary of the USPF, Yomi Arowosafe, emphasized the urgent need to address these gaps to ensure equitable access to digital services nationwide.
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