STN Wins Licence: Joins Airtel, MTN, Glo, Others To Offer Mobile, Data Services Nationwide

Swift Telephone Network Limited (STN) has received a Unified Access Service Licence (UASL) from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), clearing the way for the company to offer mobile, voice and data services across Nigeria. The licence took effect on October 1, 2026, and will run for 10 years, with room for renewal. STN announced the approval in a statement on Thursday.

A UASL is a broad permit. It allows the holder to provide fixed-line, mobile, voice and data services under one licence, subject to NCC rules.

STN’s Chief Executive Officer, Oluwole Adetuyi, described the licence as “a new chapter” for the company. “We are building in Nigeria, for Nigeria,” he said.

The company’s Director of Legal and Regulatory Services, Yetunde Okafor, said STN will announce partnerships, network rollout plans and programmes for investors and other stakeholders in the coming weeks, as it prepares to begin commercial operations. The statement did not give a date for the start of services.

STN said it will use the licence to build telecom infrastructure, widen internet and phone coverage, and help close the country’s digital divide. It also plans to train Nigerian engineers, technicians and digital professionals, and to give priority to local service providers, contractors and vendors, while working with global technology partners. The company added that it will seek to create jobs and business openings for Nigerians in distribution, retail and support services.

“Our ambition is simple: to help build Nigeria’s digital economy from the ground up,” Adetuyi said.

STN is joining a market where a few players hold most of the customers. Latest NCC figures show the four major operators had 194.86 million active subscriptions in July 2026. MTN Nigeria led with 100.86 million subscribers, a 51.76 per cent chunk of the market, followed by Airtel Nigeria with 66.76 million, or 34.26 per cent. Together, the two control about 86 per cent of subscriptions.

Globacom had 23.63 million subscribers, or 12.13 per cent, while 9mobile, now known as T2, had 3.61 million, or 1.85 per cent.

How much of that market STN can win will depend on how fast it builds its network, the airwaves it secures, how much it invests, its pricing, and its ability to attract subscribers.