Majority of telecoms operators have commenced major upgrades and installation of new equipment to boost services nationwide.

This was revealed to The Guardian yesterday by the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo.

Adebayo said operators were aware of the drop in service quality, but claimed that efforts were in top gear to boost service, and to also justify the 50 per cent tariff hike.

He said most of the telecom infrastructure, which had now attained ‘end-of-life’ stage had served the country since the revolution started decades ago.

According to him, operators have not been investing on new infrastructure, saying it may have been the reason why services have not been even in the last few weeks.

Checks by The Guardian shows that in Nigeria, there are about 40,000 telecoms towers carrying some 144, 000 transceiver stations. The Federal Government is targeting Q4 to deploy a fresh 90,000km fibre optic backbone to move it from the current 35,000km to 125,000km in five years from now, which is expected to give the country’s $76 billion telecom sector a leap.

MEANWHILE, on the ongoing global tariff war instigated by President Donald Trump and its impact on the sector, Adebayo said he could not say the country was immune and would not be affected.

“All I know is that we don’t have much export of technology from here to America, so landing tariffs may not necessarily affect us, but when we go there to buy, if the cost of software/hardware for instance goes up, it will definitely affect us,” he stated.