By NatCom Development & Investment Limited (trading as ntel) is making a historical comeback drawn to make impact that would targeting youth engagement and digital inclusion and with a renewed vigour that hopes to create a remarkable niche in the industry.
Speaking during Technology Times Thought Leadership Series, Chief Executive Officer of ntel, Mr. Soji Maurice-Diya revealed that 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.
He 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. 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”, he said.
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.
According to him, ntel’s return reflects a broader belief that the Nigerian telecoms industry still holds enormous untapped potential for innovation and cross-sector value creation.
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.
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.
“For us to go and play in the 100 million subscriber game, that’s not what we’re about. 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” he stated.
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.
Maurice-Diya disclosed that his company remains bullish about its market comeback in Q1 2026, noting a renewed strategy to fill what he describes as “innovation gaps” in Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem.
“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.”
The ntel CEO, said: “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 assured that ntel’s role will not only be 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.”
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.
He called for a regulatory environment that allows innovation to flourish before being constrained by over-regulation.
