The latest assessment of the Nigerian telecommunications opportunity is covered in the BMI-T publication entitled 'The Nigerian Telecommunications Market 2006'.
 
Stephane Tchies, analyst and author of the report, says that subscriber growth in the GSM mobile market is expected to maintain its momentum throughout the forecast period to 2010, as operators increase their network coverage and more low-end subscribers are added to the networks.
 
"The GSM mobile market is expected to continue its aggressive growth path, with a gross subscriber base of 52m by the end of 2010 being regarded as a reasonable scenario, representing almost 40m individuals. In addition the introduction of the Unified Licence Regime is expected to fuel competition in the Nigerian telecoms sector, and drive new opportunities for the benefits of consumers," adds Tchies.
 
The report also highlights the fact that, although the fixed-line incumbent, Nitel, has experienced a decline in recent years, the operators fortunes could change towards the end of 2007, following the successful sale of equity to Transcorp.

The fixed wireless sector of the market will continue to maintain a steady growth during the forecast period but will face stiffer competition from the major players in the wake of the introduction of the Unified Licence Regime, Tchies says.