The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has officially licensed six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), effective January 1, 2026, as part of an aggressive push to deepen broadband penetration. The licensing update, confirmed on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, brings the total number of authorized ISPs in Nigeria to 231.
This expansion comes as the sector faces intense pressure from dominant Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) like MTN and Airtel, as well as the rapid market disruption caused by Elon Musk’s Starlink, which became Nigeria’s second largest ISP by customer volume in late 2025.
The new licensees include Intellvision Technologies Limited, Granet Technologies Limited, Fiber Sonic Limited, Dasol Solution Services Ltd, Boost ISP Limited, and Amazon Kuiper Nigeria Limited. Notably, the entry of Amazon Kuiper signals the arrival of a direct global rival to Starlink. Amazon has been granted a seven year landing permit and a Ka band spectrum allocation to deploy its constellation of over 3,200 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
While most of the new ISPs are clustered in the Lagos commercial hub, Dasol Solution Services will operate out of Owerri, Imo State, addressing the need for better connectivity in the South East.
Despite the increase in licensed providers, the ISP sub sector is grappling with a shrinking active customer base and high infrastructure costs. As of mid 2025, only 133 out of 225 licensed ISPs reported active connections, totaling just over 313,000 users. Industry stakeholders like Chidi Ibisi of Broadbased Communications have warned that smaller providers are being crowded out by the “investment power” of MNOs who offer cheaper retail data.
To survive, newer terrestrial ISPs are being urged to pivot toward value added services rather than selling plain internet access, while satellite entrants like Amazon Kuiper focus on reaching the estimated 23 million Nigerians in underserved rural areas.
The regulatory landscape is also shifting as the NCC begins public consultations on allowing Direct to Device (D2D) satellite services. This would allow smartphones to connect directly to satellites without specialized hardware, a move that could further marginalize traditional terrestrial ISPs.
With Amazon Kuiper planning full commercial operations by the second quarter of 2026 and existing players like Spectranet seeing a steady decline in subscribers, the Nigerian internet market is entering its most volatile competitive phase in a decade.
 has officially licensed six new Internet Service Providers (ISPs), effective January 1, 2026, as part of an aggressive push to deepen broadband penetration. The licensing update, confirmed on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, brings the total number of authorized ISPs in Nigeria to 231.){kind=link}