The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has called for an urgent collaboration between key federal agencies to overhaul how investments in the telecommunications sector are tracked and reported, warning that current metrics distort the industry’s true financial health, reports ITREALMS.
The goal, ALTON pointed out, is to develop a more inclusive investment-tracking framework that captures both foreign and domestic capital deployment.
The call follows the release of the NBS Q1 2026 Capital Importation Report, which highlighted a steep decline in foreign capital importation into the telecom sector; dropping from $80.78 million in 2025 to $7.24 million in the first quarter of 2026.
However, ALTON argued that this narrative tells only a fraction of the story.
ALSO READ:
MTN, ALTON, Upperlink, NiRA back 2026 Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum, awards - ITREALMS
According to the association, the conventional metrics fail to account for massive domestic investments and reinvested operational earnings actively driving network expansions.
"This disparity between reported foreign capital inflows and actual infrastructure investment highlights a gap in how sectoral capital deployment is currently measured and reported," ALTON stated.
To put the sector’s actual growth into perspective, ALTON revealed massive capital expenditure (CAPEX) commitments from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), tower companies, and other industry players to include the 2025 total CAPEX of ₦2.13 trillion recorded.
In 2026 alone, ALTON disclosed that operators planned CAPEX stood at ₦1.86 trillion, earmarked for network infrastructure expansion, technology upgrades, and service quality enhancements.
ALTON credited the sector’s aggressive reinvestment strategy to critical policy interventions by the Federal Government.
Specifically, the association expressed deep appreciation for the strategic 50% tariff increase approved in 2025.
As stated by ALTON leadership, the timely tariff adjustment served as a financial lifeline, enabling operators to transition from severe financial distress into a sustainable, growth-focused operational model.
The ₦1.86 trillion planned for 2026 will ensure that operators maintain service quality, expand coverage, and aggressively push toward Nigeria's digital economy and financial inclusion objectives.
ALTON believes that a more transparent, all-encompassing investment profile is vital to keeping Nigeria competitive on the global stage.
"A transparent investment profile reflecting the sector's substantial annual capital commitments will better position Nigeria as a credible and attractive destination for telecommunications investment, inform sound policy development, and sustain investor confidence," the statement concluded.
The operators assured the Nigerian public of their unwavering commitment to continuous network modernization, resilience, and delivering the digital services critical to national development.
© 2026 ITREALMS. All rights reserved. Strategic industry insights and breaking tech journalism.
No comments:
Post a Comment