The Nigerian telecommunications sector is still struggling to meet the huge demand for services across the country. The Commission has for some time, been considering the introduction of an additional national operator which would compete on equal terms with the incumbent operator, Nigerian Telecommunications Limited ("Nitel"). The Commission has considered the potential growth of Nitel and Other Licensed Operators ("OLOs") and concluded that future demand will require and support a Second National Operator (SNO). The SNO will be authorised to offer the same services as Nitel.
The SNO will be authorised to provide a range of telecommunications services at national level, including but not limited to long distance transmission network, full international gateway services, mobile telephony services, fixed telephony services, and value added services, etc. For these services, the SNO will be awarded the SNO Licence made up of a National Carrier Licence, an International Gateway Licence, and Digital Mobile Licence.