…Initiative Holds $18Bn Yearly Value Addition Potential For Nigeria
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has initiated a new move toward strengthening the nation’s digital future with the inauguration of Nigeria’s Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) Council at an event in Lagos with a view to achieving 30 per cent IPv6 compliance by 2030 and creating an estimated $18 billion market opportunity for the country.
The inauguration of the Council represented another regulatory step by the commission to fast-track the nation’s transition from the current Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) to IPv6, a next-generation system designed to support the rapidly expanding global digital ecosystem.
Speaking at the event, NCC Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Dr. Aminu Maida, described IPv6 as critical to Nigeria’s digital future, stressing that the transition to “IPv6 is no longer optional. It is a strategic necessity.
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According to him, the investments Nigeria makes today will determine its digital competitiveness in the global market tomorrow.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria IPv6 Council, Muhammed Rudman, disclosed that the country aimed to achieve 20 per cent IPv6 deployment across government networks and 25 per cent adoption among telecom operators by 2027, before reaching 30 per cent compliance by 2030.
The industry expert lamented that despite the technology being introduced over a decade ago Nigeria’s adoption level remained at just five percent below Africa’s average of six per cent and far behind the global average of over 40 per cent.
Rudman attributed the slow migration to weak demand, limited awareness, and continued reliance on IPv4, supported by technologies such as Network Address Translation (NAT).
He clarified: “Most users just want internet access. They do not care whether it is IPv4 or IPv6. That is why operators are not under pressure to migrate, even though the future depends on it.”
The IPv6 is a 128-bit internet addressing system that provides an almost limitless pool of unique IP addresses, enabling seamless connectivity for billions of devices.
Unlike IPv4, the version eliminates the need for Network Address Translation (NAT), allowing devices to connect directly to the Internet, while improving network performance, scalability, and security.
