NCC orders telecos to budget for cybersecurity

The NCC has published operational requirements obligating telecom providers to allocate dedicated annual budgets exclusively for cybersecurity defense, threat mitigation and data privacy.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) published operational requirements under the Cyber Resilience Framework for the Nigeria Communications Sector (CRF-NCS). The directive obligates all telecommunication service providers and network operators to allocate dedicated annual financial budgets exclusively for cybersecurity defense, threat mitigation, and data privacy infrastructure.

The directive is a recognition of the growing threat of cyberattacks. Telecom operators hold vast amounts of sensitive data, and the NCC is ensuring that they are adequately protected. The requirement for dedicated budgets will ensure that cybersecurity is not neglected.

This echoes the 2020 cybersecurity regulations, which also sought to strengthen the sector’s defences. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a focus on protecting critical infrastructure.

The winners: Nigerian telecom subscribers, whose data will be better protected; and the NCC, which has asserted its regulatory authority. The losers: non-compliant operators, who face potential penalties; and the Nigerian public, who must trust that the regulations will be enforced.

Bottom Line: Telecom operators must now budget for cybersecurity. Data protection is a priority. The question is whether the budgets will be adequate or merely symbolic.