Liberalisation of the Nigerian telecommunication sector: a critical review

Abstract

After over a century, the Nigeria telecommunication sector was partially and fully liberalized in 1992 and 1999 respectively. How these liberalizations have impacted on the telecommunication sector, consumers and the economy at large is the focus of this paper. The research is largely library and archive based. Secondary data was obtained from Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and analyzed qualitatively. The paper reveals that the total telecom productive capacity, number of connected lines, competition, GSM telecom services, service quality, foreign direct investment, and employment generation in the telecom sector have improved tremendously after full liberalization. However, the operation costs and service tariffs of the telecom companies are still very high as a result of constant power outage in the country. The paper recommends that government should increase and sustain electricity generation and distribution capacity so as to enable telecom companies charge lower prices for telecom services.

Keywords: Liberalisation, telecommunication, Nigeria, and GSM.