Nigeria’s telecommunications sector is facing mounting uncertainty as the prolonged suspension of airtime and data lending services continues to leave more than 40 million subscribers without access to emergency credit facilities, despite multiple court orders halting enforcement of the controversial Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations 2025 (DEON).

The regulatory impasse, involving the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), telecom operators, and other industry stakeholders, has effectively crippled Nigeria’s estimated ₦400 billion annual airtime and data lending market.

The nationwide freeze, now stretching into its second month, has also sparked concerns among consumers, telecom operators, and financial analysts, especially as key regulators, including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), have remained silent on the crisis.

The dispute intensified following separate rulings by two Federal High Courts restraining the implementation of the FCCPC’s new consumer lending regulations.

Despite the court directives, airtime lending services across major networks remain suspended.

The FCCPC, led by its Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, defended the regulations, insisting they are necessary to protect consumers from exploitative lending practices, hidden charges, privacy violations, and abusive debt recovery methods.

According to the commission, over 11,000 complaints had been received against digital lenders, necessitating tighter oversight of Nigeria’s rapidly growing digital credit ecosystem.

Meanwhile, in a move to accelerate the telecom industry’s transition to net zero, the GSMA, in collaboration with the Carbon Trust, has published a comprehensive handbook titled Turning Climate Strategy into Action.

The document provides telecom leaders with practical guidance on how to prioritise, evaluate, and fund carbon reduction initiatives, ensuring that climate ambition translates into measurable impact.

Checks showed that telecom operators’ climate strategies focus on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 through science-based targets. Key initiatives include transitioning to renewable energy, upgrading to energy-efficient 5G, and optimising networks with AI.

The Guardian checks showed that in regions like Nigeria, the local telecommunications climate strategy is driven by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) advocating for the transition from traditional diesel-powered cell towers to hybrid or fully solar-powered base stations. This shift improves network reliability while dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions in off-grid or unstable grid areas.

Indeed, in the GSMA document, transitioning to net-zero is necessary because telecommunications companies face mounting pressure to decarbonise while balancing competing investment priorities. The handbook emphasises that climate initiatives must demonstrate clear value, whether through cost savings, risk mitigation, or strategic opportunities.

“The need to demonstrate value from climate investment is essential,” the report noted, highlighting that many benefits are intangible, such as avoiding climate-related risks or capturing future opportunities.

The handbook is structured into four key sections, each designed to guide practitioners from idea to implementation. These are feasibility, fundamentals, scenario building, and extending values.

On feasibility, GSMA observed that companies are encouraged to screen carbon reduction measures based on technology maturity and integration complexity. It stressed that proven, commercially available technologies that can be easily integrated into operations should be prioritised. The handbook also introduces Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) analysis, a tool that compares emissions reduction potential against cost-effectiveness.

The body on fundamentals said once measures are shortlisted, telecoms must conduct rigorous financial appraisals. This includes cash flow analysis—mapping capital expenditure (CAPEX), operational expenditure (OPEX), and revenues over time—and applying financial metrics such as Payback, ROI, Net Present Value (NPV), and Internal Rate of Return (IRR).

On scenario building, the handbook stresses the importance of integrating climate risks and opportunities into financial evaluations. It advised to build both optimistic and pessimistic cases, quantifying impacts such as regulatory changes, energy price fluctuations, and technology cost trajectories.

While extending value, GSMA said beyond financial returns, carbon reduction measures can deliver strategic benefits, such as improved resilience, regulatory compliance, and enhanced corporate reputation. The handbook provides methods to identify and incorporate these non-financial benefits into business cases.

To ground theory in practice, the handbook includes worked examples. One case study examines an off-grid base station powered by a hybrid diesel-solar PV and battery system.

By comparing the “business-as-usual” diesel generator model with the hybrid solution, practitioners can see how cash flow analysis reveals both cost savings and emissions reductions.

Additional examples in the appendices cover Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and device refurbishment programs, demonstrating how the same principles apply across different contexts.

The GSMA emphasised that a robust business case should include a clear problem statement and project objectives, evaluation of options and recommended measures, detailed project description and implementation plan, financial appraisal supported by metrics, climate-related value creation and linkage to wider corporate goals, and risk assessment and mitigation strategies.

GSMA noted that by following this structure, telecom leaders can present climate initiatives not as cost burdens but as strategic investments aligned with corporate growth and resilience.

The handbook builds on GSMA’s Achieving Climate Targets guidance and supplements its Climate Transition Planning framework. With over 200 science-based targets set and 3,000 organisations guided by the Carbon Trust, the collaboration signals a strong push for telecoms to operationalise climate strategies.

The report concluded that effective prioritisation, financial rigor, and strategic framing are essential to secure funding and accelerate decarbonisation. As the telecom sector continues to expand connectivity worldwide, its role in driving climate action will be pivotal.