New Competition for Spectranet, Smile as NCC Issues 6 New Licences to Internet Providers
- The NCC has approved six new Internet Service Providers to operate in Nigeria from January 2026
- The approvals increase the total number of licensed ISPs in the country to 231
- Analysts say growing competition will reshape Nigeria’s broadband market and test its regulatory framework
CHECK OUT: How to Start Earning with Copywriting in Just 7 Days – Even if You’re a Complete Beginner
Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted operating licences to six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), a move aimed at expanding competition in Nigeria’s increasingly contested broadband market.
Source: Getty Images
According to data from the NCC’s updated licensing database, the approvals took effect from January 1, 2026, raising the total number of authorised ISPs in the country to 231, up from 225 recorded in December 2025.
The newly licensed companies are Intellvision Technologies Limited, Granet Technologies Limited, Fiber Sonic Limited, Dasol Solution Services Limited, Boost ISP Limited, and Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited.
Five new ISPs based in Lagos
Five of the firms are based in Lagos, while one is headquartered in Owerri, Imo State, highlighting the continued concentration of broadband operations around major commercial centres.
NCC data show that most licensed ISPs remain clustered in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, where demand is stronger, and infrastructure is relatively well-developed. Factors such as high right-of-way charges, security challenges, and the heavy capital required for network deployment have limited expansion into less commercially attractive regions, the regulator’s data suggests.
The approvals come at a challenging time for many fixed broadband operators. Industry players say traditional ISPs are facing mounting pressure from cheaper and more flexible data offerings by mobile network operators such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, alongside the rapid expansion of satellite broadband services.
Expert says competition favours big operators
The Executive Director for Business Development at Broadbased Communications Ltd, Chidi Ibisi, said competition in the sector increasingly favours large and well-capitalised operators. He noted that scale, nationwide reach, and stronger investment capacity often give bigger players a natural advantage, even without anti-competitive practices.
Others within the industry argue that some of the pressure stems from internal limitations among ISPs. FibreOne’s Head of Regulatory and Public Relations, Kehinde Joda, said many operators still rely on traditional business models focused solely on selling internet access, without sufficient differentiation. He explained that innovation also involves service design, customer management, and adapting to evolving consumer needs.
Joda added that infrastructure costs remain a major barrier, particularly for fibre-based providers, as building and maintaining resilient networks requires significant upfront investment and long payback periods.
Competition has also evolved beyond the traditional rivalry between fixed broadband providers and mobile network operators. Satellite-based ISPs, with their ability to deliver coverage across wide and hard-to-reach areas, have reshaped consumer expectations around speed and availability.
Starlink gets new competitors
Starlink, which entered Nigeria in 2023, has already attracted subscribers from local ISPs and is now the country’s second-largest ISP by customer numbers.
The entry of Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited is expected to further intensify competition in the low-earth-orbit satellite broadband segment.
The NCC said the approval of global satellite operators reflects Nigeria’s openness to international broadband providers and responds to growing demand for high-speed internet in underserved areas where terrestrial infrastructure remains limited.
Source: Facebook
Recent NCC figures underline the growing concentration in the market. Data from the second quarter of 2025 showed that Spectranet, Starlink, and FibreOne accounted for about 65 per cent of active ISP customers nationwide, with total users standing at 313,713.
As new licences are issued and satellite services expand, analysts say competition in Nigeria’s ISP market is likely to deepen further, raising important questions about sustainability, regulation, and the future structure of broadband delivery in the country.
NCC issues seven-year satellite permits
Legit.ng earlier reported that the NCC approved new satellite internet licences for global and regional players, opening the door to heightened competition in the country’s fast-growing broadband market.
The NCC has issued seven-year satellite permits to Amazon’s low-Earth orbit broadband network, Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper), Israel-backed BeetleSat and Germany-based Satelio IoT Services.
The licences, which take effect from February, allow the new operators to provide satellite connectivity across Nigeria alongside Starlink, which launched commercially in the country in 2023.
Source: Legit.ng
