Telcos owe 25-year growth to workers’ sacrifice — ATCON

Nigeria’s telecommunications industry has been built over the past 25 years on the work of technicians, engineers and field professionals who have operated across difficult terrain and under demanding conditions, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria has said.

The President of ATCON, Tony Emoekpere, said that the contribution of the workforce behind the country’s mobile networks was often measured by infrastructure milestones such as fibre routes, base stations and network coverage, rather than by the people who built and maintained them.

Emoekpere made the remarks in a note titled, 25 Years of Telecoms: Remembering the Heroes Behind Nigeria’s Connectivity, issued as the country marks 25 years of the GSM-led transformation of its telecommunications industry.

Nigeria liberalised its telecoms sector and auctioned GSM licences in 2001, opening the market to private operators and setting off a rapid expansion in mobile connectivity. The transformation has since turned a largely fixed-line system into a nationwide digital infrastructure supporting mobile communications, broadband, data services and an expanding digital economy.

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, the sector has attracted about $75bn in investment since liberalisation in 2001.

Emoekpere said that the infrastructure underpinning that expansion could not have been built without thousands of workers who install, upgrade and maintain telecommunications networks, often travelling long distances and working in challenging environments.

“Behind every base station, fibre route, transmission link and network upgrade are men and women who have worked in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable,” he said.

The ATCON president said that field personnel continue to face significant security and operational risks as they respond to network faults, maintain infrastructure and extend connectivity across the country.

He emphasised the importance of the workforce as Nigeria enters the next phase of telecoms development, noting that their contributions are integral to the country’s wider digital transformation.

The comments come as Nigeria’s telecom industry moves from its original GSM rollout into an era increasingly defined by smartphones, broadband, fibre networks, cloud services and 5G connectivity.

The first GSM call on MTN Nigeria’s network was made in May 2001, marking an early milestone in a transformation that would fundamentally change how Nigerians communicate, conduct business and access financial and digital services.

Emoekpere said that the impact of the workers behind the infrastructure was ultimately reflected in the millions of people, businesses and communities connected to the networks.

“To those still on the frontline; we see you, we appreciate you, and we thank you,” he said.

He also urged continued recognition of the technicians, engineers and other field professionals whose work remains critical to keeping Nigeria connected as demand for reliable digital infrastructure grows.