Telecom offices in Nigeria were initially setup in 1886 by Colonial masters from Britain. When Nigeria got independence in 1960, with a population of around 40 million individuals, the nation just had around 18,724 phone lines for use. Meaning a tele density of around 0.5 telephone lines for every 1,000 individuals. The telephone system comprised of 121 trades of which 116 were of the manual (magneto) sort and only 5 were automatic. Within 1960 and 1985, the telecom office comprised of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications (P&T) accountable for the inside system and a restricted risk organization, the Nigerian External Telecommunication (NET) Limited, in charge of the outside information transfers administrations, gave the passage to other parts of the world. During the same period, the telephone framework was questionable, congested, costly and client hostile. Government-held parastatal, the Nigeria Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) was set up in 1985 and held an imposing business model in the business sector for over ten years. The organization’s domination was checked by a long sit tight times for associations well as inadequately kept up and sparse foundation. As a limited liability company, the primary target of setting up (NITEL) was to harmonize the planning and coordination of the internal and the external telecommunication services, attract foreign direct investment, and also provide efficient and affordable services to the country. To put it in a summary, the controlled all activities concerning wired telecommunication in Nigeria. The Nigerian government, in November 1992, set up an autonomous controller. The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) that supervises the telecoms division. Because there was a need for serious improvement due to low private sector involvement and poor technology in telecom sector from 1960 when the country had independence up until 1999, at the time that only half a million people that had access to telephone lines as compared to over 90million people residing or living in the country. This period was referred to as the ”dark age” of the Nigerian telecommunication sector. Underneath is a table showing details of how the Nigerian telecom sector has evolved throughout the years in comparison with other major sectors in the Nigerian.
In 1999, democracy returned to Nigeria and Olusegun Obasanjo the President back then, on taking up of office May 29, 1999, revisited the telecom sector that was already deregulated to form Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in 1992 and ordered to issue new licences to mobile operators. Three multinational mobile operators, MTN, AIRTEL and MTEL on 23rd of March, 2001 were issued licences and given 90 days deadline to start operating. The present day leading body of the Nigerian telecommunication sector (NCC) under Ernest Ndukwe, saw the body starting to satisfy and guaranteed as a dynamic performing actor in the sector. In 2003, the Communication Act of Nigeria gave controls already dwelling with the Ministry of Information and Communication to the NCC, diminishing the part of Ministry to policy making and giving the NCC a free role in controlling the sector. The NCC presented another license patterns to telecom operating companies in the sector in 2006, with the presentation of innovation impartial Unified Access Service Licenses (UASL), which permit operators to offer fixed, mobile and data services using technologies of their preferred innovation. Gradually more and more multinational mobile operators such as Etisalat, Glabacom and co have been issued a licence as well, now there are more than 130 million mobile subscribers due to increased competitiveness among operators in the country. According to Wikipedia (MTN) is a south-Africa based multinational mobile telecommunication company operating not only in African countries but European and Middle Eastern countries. It heads office located in Johannesburg. (AIRTEL) an Indian based multinational mobile telecommunication company with its head office located in New Delhi. (MTEL) was formally known as NITEL, which was owned by the government until sold by the bureau of public enterprise (BPE). (ETISALAT) According to Wikipedia is a multinational UAE-based telecommunication service provider currently functioning or operating in fifteen countries across Africa, Middle East, and Asia? Finally (GLOBECOM) according to Wikipedia is a Nigeria multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Lagos, it started operating in the country on 29th of August 2003. All this mobile operators mentioned above are the five (5) major multinational companies are that have not only generated competitions in the country but increased the amount of investment in the country and also creating a lot of jobs directly and indirectly for the people living the country. Of course, there are other minor multinational mobile operators within the country and their impact coupled with the major once, is felt in the economy.