Lagos State is getting ready to change how telecom companies get permission to build towers, masts, and lay fibre optic cables across the city. The government announced that it will launch a new digital platform called the Telecommunication Infrastructure Regulatory System in February 2026. This move is supposed to make everything faster, easier, and more transparent for everyone involved.
Prince Oyekanmi Elegushi, who runs the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance Regulatory Agency, explained that the new system will make sure all telecommunication infrastructure projects follow the rules while improving how things get done. Right now, getting permits involves a lot of paperwork, office visits, and dealing with different people at various stages. The new platform is designed to cut through all that.
Companies will be able to apply for permits to install masts, towers, and fiber optic cables online, which means they won’t need to keep showing up at government offices. Everything will happen through a website or app. You submit your application, wait for approval, and get your permit without having to physically go anywhere. For telecom companies that are trying to expand their networks quickly, this could save weeks or even months of time.
The system is expected to reduce human interaction by about 99 percent. That’s a huge number and basically means almost everything will be automated. When you remove human interaction from government processes, you also remove a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. Delays caused by someone being out of the office, lost paperwork, or unclear requirements all become less of an issue when everything is digital and automated.
Lagos is Nigeria’s commercial capital and one of the fastest growing cities in Africa. The telecom industry there is massive because everyone needs internet and phone service. Companies like MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile are constantly building new infrastructure to keep up with demand. When you have that much activity, the permit system needs to work smoothly or it becomes a major headache for everyone.
Before launching the platform, the agency completed training programs for all its departments and staff. This is important because government workers need to know how to use the new system just as much as the telecom companies do. The training covered both the theory behind how the system works and hands on practice actually using it. Getting everyone prepared ahead of time should help avoid confusion when the platform goes live.
The Lagos State government has been dealing with telecom infrastructure problems for years. In the past, the agency has taken down over 95 illegal or unsafe masts around the city. Some of these structures were linked to buildings collapsing because they weren’t properly installed or approved. Having a better regulatory system should help prevent dangerous situations like that from happening in the future.
Earlier this year, the agency worked together with the Nigerian Communications Commission and telecom operators to count and map every single tower and mast in Lagos. This enumeration project was about understanding exactly what infrastructure exists and where it’s located. Having that information in a database makes it easier to regulate and track everything going forward. The new digital platform will likely connect to that database so approvals can be based on accurate information about what’s already out there.
Transparency is one of the biggest reasons Lagos is doing this. When permit processes happen mostly offline and involve multiple people making decisions, it’s harder to see what’s really going on. People wonder why some applications get approved quickly while others take forever. There are questions about whether connections or money under the table play a role. A digital system where everything is tracked and recorded makes it much harder for corruption to happen because there’s a clear record of every step.
For telecom companies, knowing exactly what the rules are and being able to track their applications in real time is valuable. Instead of calling or visiting offices to ask about status updates, they can just log into the system and see where things stand. If an application gets rejected, the reasons should be clear and documented. If more information is needed, the system can request it automatically without needing phone calls or emails back and forth.
The February 2026 launch date gives Lagos about a year and a half to make sure everything is ready. Building a government platform that handles permits, payments, approvals, and records is complicated. The system needs to be secure so that sensitive information doesn’t get hacked. It needs to work reliably so companies can depend on it. And it needs to be user friendly enough that people will actually want to use it instead of trying to find workarounds.
Lagos is positioning itself as Nigeria’s digital infrastructure hub, and this platform is part of that vision. The state government has been pushing digital transformation across different sectors, from taxes to business registration to transportation. Adding telecom infrastructure approvals to that list makes sense because telecom is such a critical part of the economy. Better infrastructure means better internet and phone service for residents and businesses, which helps the whole city grow.
The impact of this change could be significant. If permits that used to take three months can now be processed in three weeks, telecom companies can expand their networks faster. That means more coverage in areas that currently have poor service, faster internet speeds as companies upgrade their equipment, and better capacity to handle Lagos’s growing population. People who live in neighborhoods with spotty service would benefit directly from infrastructure being built more quickly.
There are still questions about how well this will work in practice. Government digital platforms sometimes sound great when they’re announced but run into problems when they actually launch. Technical issues, bugs, and system crashes can frustrate users and make them lose confidence in the platform. Training is good, but people also need ongoing support when they have questions or run into problems. The agency will need to have customer service set up to help users who get stuck.
Another question is whether the system will truly be as automated as promised. Sometimes governments launch digital platforms but still require certain steps to happen offline. For example, you might apply online but still need to submit physical documents or come in for an inspection. If that happens, the platform doesn’t really eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, it just adds an extra digital layer on top of them. Lagos will need to resist that temptation and commit to making the process fully digital from start to finish.
Security is also important. Telecom infrastructure information is sensitive because it reveals where equipment is located and what networks exist. If someone with bad intentions gets access to that information, they could use it to target infrastructure for theft or sabotage. The platform needs strong cybersecurity protections to keep data safe. This means encryption, secure login systems, regular security audits, and staff training on how to protect information.
The pricing structure for permits is something people will be watching. Will the new system make permits cheaper, more expensive, or keep them about the same? Sometimes digital platforms include fees for using the system itself. Other times, going digital reduces costs because less staff time is needed to process applications. How Lagos handles this will affect how enthusiastic companies are about using the platform.
Small telecom operators and infrastructure companies might benefit the most from this change. Big players like MTN already have relationships with government offices and know how to navigate the system. But smaller companies often struggle because they don’t have the same connections or experience. A transparent digital platform levels the playing field. Everyone follows the same process, waits the same amount of time, and gets judged by the same standards. That’s good for competition and could bring more players into the market.
Looking at the bigger picture, if Lagos succeeds with this platform, other Nigerian states might copy the model. Right now, every state has its own way of handling telecom infrastructure approvals. Some are faster than others. Some are more transparent. If Lagos shows that a digital system works better, it could push other states to modernize as well. That would benefit the entire country’s telecom sector.
The Telecommunication Infrastructure Regulatory System represents Lagos trying to govern in a more modern way. Instead of relying on paper forms and office visits, the government is embracing technology to serve people better. Whether this turns out to be a genuine improvement or just a well intentioned project that falls short will depend on execution. The platform needs to work reliably, be easy to use, provide real time updates, and actually deliver permits faster than the old system.
February 2026 isn’t that far away. Between now and then, Lagos needs to finish building the platform, test it thoroughly, fix any problems that come up during testing, and make sure all the staff and users are ready to switch over. For now, telecom companies and anyone interested in better connectivity in Lagos will be watching closely to see if the state government can deliver on this promise.
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