NCC says telecom access grows 11.26%, broadband penetration to 47.36%
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Telecommunication access grew 11.26 per cent in 2022, despite a 46.89 per cent decline in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed in its newly released “2022 Subscriber/Network Data Annual Report”.
The NCC disclosed network operators launched 12,882 more base stations in 2022, increasing the number to 127,294 from 114,412 in 2021 so as to boost telecom services, such as calls, internet, and more.
The increase in access reflected in increased broadband penetration from 40.88 per cent in 2021 to 47.36 per cent in 2022, and raised active subscriptions from 195.46 million in 2021 to 222.57 million.
Teledensity expanded from 102.40 per cent from in 2021 to 116.60 per cent in 2022, and internet subscriptions rose from 141.97 million in 2021 to 154.85 million.
The NCC said 93.90 per cent of the population was covered in 2022 by a 2G network, 86.82 per cent 3G, and 80.86 per cent by LTE/WiMAX.
“A substantial telecom infrastructure deployment was recorded in 2022 by telecom providers,” it added.
Fibre cable (terrestrial fibre and submarine) expanded from 86,057km in 2021 to 96,198 km in 2022, providing the backbone for a 46.77 per cent surge in data consumption to 518,381.78TB.
Growth in telecom access is vital to the success of communication services and by extension to the digital economy.
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12m Nigerians lack access to telecom services
The NCC announced earlier this year the number of Nigerians without access to telecom services dropped from 37.04 per cent in 2021 to 27 million in 2022.
The number of clusters in the country without access to telecom shrank to 53.1 per cent in 2022, it added, according to The PUNCH.
“We have worked tirelessly to ensure we bring telecom services to people living in rural, unserved, and underserved areas of this country, totalling 37 million people courtesy of the consultancy that was conducted in 2013,” NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Umar Danbatta said at the time.
“By 2022, we have reduced the clusters of access gaps to 97 from 207 in 2013. The number of Nigerians again has come down from 37 million in 2013 to 27 million as we speak.”
However, FDI into the telecom sector dipped 46.89 per cent from $753.05 million in 2021 to $399.91 million in 2022.
“Capital inflow (Foreign Direct Investment) into the Nigerian telecoms industry in the year 2022 was approximately $399.91m against $753.05m as of the year 2021,” NCC said, quoting figures computed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
FDI fell in 2022 despite the sustained rollout of 4G and 5G networks. Foreign exchange (forex) scarcity and bad government policies are blamed for this.
However, foreign outflow was estimated at $2.6 billion in 2022, the NCC explained in its “National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector”.