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Four months after the expiration of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020 to 2025, telecom operators are intensifying calls for a new broadband policy framework.

They said the country now needs a more practical and better-aligned roadmap to drive the next phase of digital infrastructure expansion.

The renewed demand comes as stakeholders assess the performance of the outgoing plan, which industry players say fell short of expectations in critical areas including execution, infrastructure coordination and policy alignment across different levels of government.

Nigeria fell short of meeting it’s 70% broadband penetration at the end of the five-year plan in December last year.

According to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), broadband penetration in the country stood at 51.97%, indicating that nearly half of the internet users in the country have no access to high-speed internet.

Speaking with Nairametrics, the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Tony Emoekpere, said Nigeria needs not just another plan, but a more executable and better aligned plan.

The ATCON President said the next broadband policy should place infrastructure rollout at the centre of national planning.

Also speaking on the need for a new policy, a telecom consultant,Mr. Adewale Adeoye, said broadband plans remain important because they provide direction for government agencies, investors and private operators.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Communications Commission has already signalled that a successor plan is being developed.

Executive Commissioner, Technical Services,Engr. Abraham Oshadami, said the regulator is reviewing the performance of the previous plan and assessing areas for improvement.

His remarks suggest the next framework may be shaped by lessons learned from the 2020 to 2025 cycle.

The National Broadband Plan 2020 to 2025 was introduced to deepen broadband penetration, improve access, reduce connectivity gaps and support Nigeria’s broader digital economy ambitions.

Telecom companies have repeatedly argued that inconsistent state-level charges and approval processes continue to delay fibre projects and raise deployment costs

Despite concerns over the old framework, ATCON said some elements of the next broadband phase are already beginning to emerge.

He cited Project BRIDGE as one of the initiatives already delivering part of what was envisioned under the former broadband strategy.

He also referenced the Federal Government’s ongoing push to support the deployment of about 7,000 telecom towers to expand network reach into underserved and unserved areas where operators have historically faced weak commercial incentives.

The initiative is expected to improve access in rural and low-income communities where private capital alone has often been insufficient to justify rollout.

While acknowledging these efforts, telecom operators say isolated projects will not be enough without a coordinated national structure that connects them into one measurable broadband strategy.

Aside from the overall 70% penetration target, the expired Broadband Plan also set several targets for the country, most of which were missed.

Recognizing the high cost of smartphones as one of the access barriers to broadband in the country, the Plan developed by key experts in the ICT industry appointed by the government, recommends that the country should have at least one smartphone assembly plant by 2023.