Abstract

The communications sector in Nigeria has witnessed an enormous growth since 1992 when it was liberalized and deregulated. However, much more significant developments have been witnessed since 2001 when the Global System for Mobile Networks (GSM) were licensed to operate as private players in the sector. This examined the existing legal and institutional framework for the operations of these GSM providers in the country. The main aim was to determine how far the regulatory framework in the sector has improved the quality of service provided to subscribers by these GSM operators. This study revealed that in spite of the elaborate legal and institutional framework for the regulation of GSM operators in the country, their services are far from been satisfactory, and consumers in the sector do not feel adequately protected by these measures. Accordingly, the study recommended that the enactment of a generic competition law in the country should address the imperfections in the sector.

Key words: Nigeria, global system for mobile networks (GSM), sector.