Mr. Soji Maurice-Diya, Chief Executive Officer of NatCom Development & Investment Limited (trading as ntel), says the company remains bullish about its market comeback in Q1 2026, unveiling a renewed strategy to fill what he describes as “innovation gaps” in Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem.
Speaking during the Technology Times Thought Leadership Series, a quarterly platform powered by Digital Transformation Media Limited (DTML), publishers of Technology Times and eGovernance Nigeria Magazine, the ntel CEO shared his company’s renewed vision to re-enter Nigeria’s highly competitive telecoms market through an infrastructure-light model anchored on innovation, broadband inclusion, and youth-focused digital engagement.
“We think that there’s a lot of innovation that’s yet to happen in this space,”
Maurice-Diya said. “With all due respect to our partners and competitors in the ecosystem, we don’t think there’s been nearly enough innovation in the last few years.”
According to him, ntel’s return will not seek to replicate existing market models, but to target niche segments of Nigerian consumers through products that deliver distinctive value propositions.
“For us to go and play in the 100 million subscriber game, that’s not what we’re about,” he stated. “We’re about to find a very small subset of subscribers, and serve them extremely well. We think the future will kind of take care of itself if we’re able to do that very well.”
Reimagining the Role of Telecoms in Nigeria
Maurice-Diya said ntel’s return reflects a broader belief that the Nigerian telecoms industry still holds enormous untapped potential for innovation and cross-sector value creation.
He noted that while the industry has matured over the last 25 years—becoming a key enabler of Nigeria’s economy—fresh ideas are still required to drive its next phase of evolution.
“Most of us are aware that the telecoms industry in Nigeria, as we know it today, started almost 25 years ago,” he said. “It has witnessed significant and impactful growth, particularly in supporting Nigeria’s broader commercial ecosystem. Over the last 25 years, one would argue that the sector has become a mature market and there’s a lot more stability.”
He commended long-standing operators like MTN, Airtel, and Glo for demonstrating long-term commitment to the market, adding that their continued investments have strengthened the industry’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP.
However, he argued that the next chapter of the Nigerian telecoms story must see operators evolving beyond providing connectivity, toward becoming digital platforms that enable and unlock new opportunities across other sectors.
“Telcos have to be able to play more than just a communication or connectivity role and become a digital platform that can enable and unlock a lot of additional opportunities,” he said.
Policy Synergy and Market Evolution
On the policy front, the ntel CEO praised ongoing reforms driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, especially the tariff relief measures introduced between late 2024 and early 2025.
He said these interventions have created “a bit more justification for further investment in the industry.”
Maurice-Diya emphasised the need for stronger synergy between the communications and financial sectors, which he described as critical to the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s digital economy.
“There needs to be more synergy between the communications ecosystem and the financial sector,” he said. “To the extent possible that there is a bit more closer working relationship between both ecosystems to birth what I think is the next chapter that can help define the broader ecosystem in the next 25 years.”
He added that dynamic pricing, tax incentives, and sustainability-driven infrastructure policies will remain central to improving industry competitiveness.
“Dynamic pricing and allowing a bit more flexibility in the tariff regime might be one,” he explained. “In addition to it there are tax incentives. Again, I think the government has played a role in creating some reduction in tax-based taxes around withholding tax. A little bit more can be done there.”
Supporting National Connectivity Goals
The ntel CEO commended the Federal Government’s rural broadband initiatives, particularly the planned deployment of 7,000 telecom towers and 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure over the next five years.
“I think those, while they’re not necessarily policy interventions, are welcome interventions that will help,” he said.
“We at ntel will play a role not only by supporting the ecosystem but also creating a couple of interesting products that we think will also further broaden and deepen connectivity and improve telecommunication services across the country.”
Balancing Regulation and Innovation
Maurice-Diya called for a regulatory environment that allows innovation to flourish before being constrained by over-regulation.
“A lot of times regulation comes on the back of innovation,” he noted. “The government should continue to allow for innovation first, and then regulate on the back-end because you can’t regulate everything. When you over regulate, you stifle innovation.”
He cited global experiences such as cryptocurrency to illustrate how measured regulatory approaches can support innovation without compromising stability.
“You start by allowing innovation to happen, and as long as you keep your pulse on what’s going on, I think you’ll find that there are actually opportunities,” he added.
Local Content and Industry Sustainability
The ntel CEO also underscored the importance of local content development in strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy. He said the sustainability of the telecoms industry will depend on the country’s ability to localise technology, infrastructure, and talent.
“The sustainability of the industry is predicated on the ability to localise as much as possible,” Maurice-Diya said. “In the early days it was understandable that a lot of our capacity was built from outside of the country, but over time there’s now opportunities to start to localise those things.”
He acknowledged ongoing government efforts through initiatives like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme aimed at deepening local capacity, adding that “the industry is headed in the right direction.”
“External influences can be expensive and sometimes not necessarily committed to the long-term growth of the industry,” he warned. “The policies have to just continue to support it.”
Enabling Long-Term Investment and Growth
According to Maurice-Diya, sustaining investor confidence will require continued macroeconomic stability, particularly around foreign exchange, tax policy, and capital repatriation.
“Investors are savvy and unemotional about where their investments go,” he said. “Ultimately, investors want to be able to put their capital in a place that they’re reasonably assured of their ability to take it out.”
He urged government to tie tax incentives to long-term capital commitments and ensure a fairer value-sharing formula across interconnected industries such as financial services, education, and logistics.
“FX stability and some tax incentives… I think the government could go a bit further in protecting long-term
investments and actually tying targets or long-term investments to additional incentives,” he said.
ntel’s Comeback Strategy: A Digital Play
Reflecting on ntel’s legacy, Maurice-Diya said the company—originally Nigeria’s government-owned first national operator NITEL, which transitioned to ntel in 2015—had achieved commendable milestones before pausing operations in recent years. Its Q1 2026 comeback, he revealed, will leverage an infrastructure-light, innovation-driven business model focused on digital experiences.
“In coming back, we’re exploring a very, very light digital play,” he said. “Our view is that there is still a role to be played by the likes of ourselves to innovate, to create very niche products that meet the needs of a teeming and young population.”
The CEO said ntel’s renewed focus will be on youth engagement and digital inclusion, reflecting Nigeria’s demographic advantage as one of the world’s youngest populations.
“Between three and four million Nigerians turn 18 every year, and we think that’s an opportunity,” he said. “If we’re able to tap into that, we can deepen our penetration, offer services that speak to their needs, and ultimately grow with them.”
Defining Legacy Through Innovation
Asked about his long-term vision for ntel’s legacy, Maurice-Diya said the company’s goal is to create differentiated services that not only stand out in the marketplace but also make lasting social and economic impact.
“Our legacy is that in 10, 15, 20 years, we’ll be able to say that we’ve provided services that have truly differentiated ourselves in the marketplace but also made an impact,” he said.
He added that ntel plans to leverage its legacy infrastructure while investing in digital innovation to empower millions of Nigerians and strengthen collaboration across the telecoms value chain.
We’ve also played a role in being a partner to the rest of the ecosystem, supporting everybody else to make sure that the industry continues to be sustainable,” he said.
Creating a Level Playing Field
On the broader telecoms market environment, the ntel boss stressed the importance of a fair and competitive ecosystem that encourages participation by new entrants.
“The first thing is a fair playing ground for all players,” Maurice-Diya said. “The ecosystem has to be able to see that there aren’t any preferential treatments being handed out to different players. The market is big enough to sustain a multiplicity of players, and we hope to be able to play in that role.”
He encouraged continued market liberalisation and pro-innovation regulation, which he believes will be critical to maintaining Nigeria’s regional and global competitiveness over the next decade.
