The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has attributed the exponential growth in mobile Internet subscription to fair regulatory policies instituted by it.
The commission said its policies have helped telecoms operators in rolling out Internet services across the country.
Currently Nigeria is leading other African countries with the highest number of Internet users either in Facebook or active mobile phone subscriptions. This is despite South Africa having higher Internet, Facebook and mobile penetration.
A research recently sponsored by mobile advertising network, Twinpine, gave fresh insight into the unprecedented growth of the African mobile market, revealing that mobile penetration is driving Internet usage across West Africa and playing a fundamental role in fueling economic growth, with Nigeria taking the lead.
As at January this year, mobile Internet subscription from Nigeria was put at 55 million with 32 per cent penetration. However latest figures indicate that Nigeria now has over 64 million mobile Internet subscriptions.
Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, who attributed the development to fair regulatory policy, said the commission had always played a major role in expanding Internet penetration and enhancing its utilisation in the country, through various intervention programmes executed by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), an arm of the NCC.
According to him, "Nigerians are now planning and building their lives around wired and wireless networks, based on fair regulatory policy."
Juwah however decried the increasing rate of cybercrime in the country.
The NCC boss, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Standards, Abubakar Jogu Maina, at the National Cyber Security Forum organised recently in Lagos by the office of the National Security Adviser, said the increasing rate of global cybercrime has created regulatory challenges for the country.
"With the increasing availability and utilisation of Internet facilities, threats in the cyberspace are also escalating. Cyber-criminals are now invading homes and offices, not by breaking doors or windows, but by breaking into laptops, PCs and wireless devices through the internet," Juwah said.
He added that the global economic loss due to cybercrimes and cost of system repairs as a result of cyber attacks runs into millions of naira every year.
"The commission receives complaints frequently from the International Criminal Investigation Organisation (ICIO), Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on cybercrimes committed by some Nigerians, through the internet, both locally and internationally," he said.
Although he commended the exponential growth in Internet usage in Nigeria, Juwah called for caution against cybercrime, which he said, could ruin the fortunes of the country.
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