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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The telecommunications sector has become one of the most powerful engines of modern economic and social life. In homes, markets, hospitals, and classrooms across the world, connectivity is no longer a luxury but a fundamental expectation. Behind this invisible web of voice calls, mobile money transfers, online learning, and emergency alerts stand ordinary men and women, engineers, technicians, customer service agents, and managers whose daily work keeps millions connected. In the last decade, the tools these workers use have changed dramatically. Digital media platforms WhatsApp Business, Microsoft Teams, Slack, cloud based CRM systems, predictive analytics dashboards, GIS mapping applications, and enterprise collaboration suites have moved from being “nice to have” additions to essential instruments that shape how effectively, how quickly, and how humanely work is performed (Deloitte, 2024; PwC, 2025).
Globally, research consistently demonstrates that thoughtful integration of digital media tools improves individual and organisational performance. Telecom employees who have access to real time data and seamless collaboration platforms complete tasks faster, make fewer errors, and report higher job satisfaction (Bondanini et al., 2025). Generative AI and self healing network technologies have reduced software development cycles by 10–30 % and enabled proactive rather than reactive maintenance, directly translating into higher productivity and lower operational costs (PwC, 2025). Yet these same tools can create new pressures: constant connectivity blurs work–life boundaries, notification overload generates technostress, and unequal access to training deepens performance gaps (Bondanini et al., 2025; Subha et al., 2025).
In Nigeria, the human and societal stakes are particularly high. With over 220 million people and a mobile penetration rate exceeding 100 %, telecommunications is not just an industry, it is the backbone of commerce, education, healthcare delivery, and social cohesion (Adep etun, 2025). A farmer in Kano receives market prices on his phone; a student in Enugu submits assignments online; a mother in Port Harcourt transfers school fees through mobile money. When networks function well, lives improve. When they falter, entire communities feel the impact. The sector contributes approximately 11.18 % to Nigeria’s GDP, employs millions directly and indirectly, and recorded revenues of ₦5.33 trillion in 2024 alone (Mordor Intelligence, 2025). Its continued growth depends heavily on the performance, wellbeing, and adaptability of the people who build, maintain, and operate the infrastructure.
Lagos State, as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, hosts the highest concentration of telecom infrastructure and talent in the country. Over 60 % of national telecom assets and a significant proportion of skilled workers are based here (Adep etun, 2025). Two organisations central to this ecosystem are IHS Towers Nigeria Limited and ZTE Nigeria Limited. IHS Towers manages more than 23,000 tower sites across the federation and provides critical colocation services to all major mobile network operators (Ochor et al., 2024). ZTE Nigeria supplies advanced network equipment, implements 5G projects, and supports rural connectivity initiatives. Employees in both companies rely daily on digital media tools to coordinate field activities, monitor network health, resolve customer complaints, and collaborate across geographically dispersed teams.
Recent empirical work conducted among these very employees reveals a clear pattern: digital media tools are perceived as powerful enablers of job performance. In a 2024 study of 254 workers from IHS Towers and ZTE Nigeria in Lagos State, respondents strongly agreed that tools such as Google Workspace, Skype, cloud storage, and specialised telecom applications significantly enhanced efficiency, innovation, knowledge sharing, and problem solving capabilities (Ochor et al., 2024). Mean agreement scores ranged from 3.47 to 3.73 on a 4 point scale, with 71 % of respondents strongly affirming the competitive advantage conferred by these platforms.
Nevertheless, the Nigerian context introduces distinctive challenges. Erratic power supply, high data costs, inadequate digital literacy in some cadres, and economic pressures (including inflation rates exceeding 25 % in 2025) can turn the same tools that liberate workers elsewhere into sources of frustration and diminished performance (Mordor Intelligence, 2025; Subha et al., 2025). Understanding how these tools affect real people their sense of competence, their work–life balance, their pride in keeping a nation connected is therefore not merely an academic exercise; it carries practical implications for individuals, organisations, communities, and national development aspirations.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Despite the proven potential of digital media tools to enhance job performance, their actual impact on telecommunication employees in Nigeria remains mixed and context dependent. Globally, while productivity gains of 15–30 % are common, a significant proportion of workers also experience digital overload, technostress, and burnout (Bondanini et al., 2025; Deloitte, 2024). In Nigeria, infrastructural deficits amplify these difficulties: power outages disrupt tool usage for up to 40 % of operational time, slow internet speeds delay real time collaboration, and limited training leaves many employees unable to exploit advanced features (Adep etun, 2025; Mordor Intelligence, 2025).
At the individual level, these challenges translate into longer working hours, heightened anxiety about meeting targets, and reduced job satisfaction. At the organisational level, they manifest as higher error rates, delayed project delivery, and increased staff turnover. At the community and national levels, suboptimal employee performance ultimately weakens network quality and coverage slowing progress toward the National Broadband Plan target of 70 % coverage by 2025 and hindering Nigeria’s broader digital economy ambitions (Mordor Intelligence, 2024).
Although Ochor et al. (2024) provided valuable baseline data on tool usage and perceived effectiveness among IHS Towers and ZTE employees in Lagos, important gaps remain: the specific mechanisms through which tools influence different dimensions of performance, the relative weight of infrastructural versus human factor barriers, and actionable strategies for maximising benefits while minimising harm. This study seeks to address these gaps.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Main Objective
To examine the impact of digital media tools on job performance among employees of IHS Towers and ZTE Nigeria Limited in Lagos State.
Specific Objectives
- To identify the digital media tools most commonly used by employees in the selected organisations.
- To assess the extent to which these tools enhance efficiency, innovation, collaboration, and overall job performance.
- To investigate the challenges (technostress, infrastructure deficits, skill gaps, etc.) that moderate the relationship between tool usage and performance.
1.4 Research Questions
- Which digital media tools are predominantly utilised by employees at IHS Towers and ZTE Nigeria Limited?
- To what extent do these tools improve efficiency, innovation, collaboration, and overall job performance?
- What are the major barriers that limit the positive impact of digital media tools on employee performance?
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study holds substantial theoretical, practical, policy, and societal relevance.
Theoretically, it enriches the body of knowledge on technology adoption and workplace performance by applying and extending established frameworks such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Task Technology Fit (TTF) to the distinctive socio technical realities of the Nigerian telecommunications sector (Ochor et al., 2024; Subha et al., 2025). In doing so, it contributes fresh empirical evidence from an emerging market context that is often underrepresented in global literature.
Practically, the findings will equip IHS Towers, ZTE Nigeria Limited, and other telecommunications organisations with evidence based insights and actionable recommendations to optimise the use of digital media tools, enhance employee wellbeing, reduce technostress, and ultimately raise individual and organisational performance (Islam & Hossain, 2024).
From a policy perspective, the study offers valuable input to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and national skills development programmes such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative. The results can guide the design of targeted training, infrastructure support policies, and regulatory measures that enable telecom workers to derive maximum benefit from digital tools (Mordor Intelligence, 2024).
At the societal level, improved job performance and reduced stress among telecommunications employees translate directly into more reliable and extensive network coverage. This, in turn, benefits millions of ordinary Nigerians market women receiving real time price updates, students accessing online learning materials, healthcare workers coordinating emergency responses, and families staying connected across vast distances, thereby supporting broader national goals of digital inclusion and sustainable development (Adep etun, 2025; PwC, 2025).
1.6 Scope and Delimitations of the Study
The study focuses on permanent and contract employees of IHS Towers Nigeria Limited and ZTE Nigeria Limited who are based in or regularly operate within Lagos State and who routinely use digital media tools in their work. It examines both the positive and negative effects of these tools on individual job performance (task efficiency, quality of output, innovation, and collaboration). The study is delimited to these two organisations in order to achieve depth and contextual relevance. It does not cover mobile network operators (MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile) directly, nor does it extend to telecom employees outside Lagos State.
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
- Digital Media Tools: Information and communication technologies used for work-related collaboration and task execution, including but not limited to WhatsApp Business, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Workspace, CRM systems, network monitoring dashboards, and cloud storage platforms
- Job Performance: The degree to which employees accomplish assigned tasks effectively and efficiently, measured through self-reported indicators of productivity, quality, timeliness, innovation, and collaboration.
- Technostress: Psychological stress arising from the inability to cope with ICT demands or from constant connectivity expectations.
- Telecommunication Employees: Individuals engaged in technical, operational, administrative, or customer-facing roles within infrastructure providers and equipment vendors in the telecom ecosystem.
References
Adep etun, A. (2025). Nigeria at 65: How telecom drives growth across sectors. The Guardian Nigeria. https://guardian.ng/technology/nigeria-at-65-how-telecom-drives-growth-across-sectors/
Bondanini, G., Giovanelli, C., Mucci, N., & Giorgi, G. (2025). The dual impact of digital connectivity: Balancing productivity and well-being in the modern workplace. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22010123
Deloitte. (2024). 2024 Telecom industry outlook. Deloitte US. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/Industries/tmt/articles/telecommunications-industry-outlook.html
Mordor Intelligence. (2024). Nigeria digital transformation market size & share analysis. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/nigeria-digital-transformation-market
Mordor Intelligence. (2025). Nigeria telecom MNO market size and share. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/nigeria-telecom-market
Ochor, R. U., Mbazie, S. C. J., & Agbo, B. O. (2024). Digital media and job performance by telecommunication employees of IHS Towers and ZTE Nigeria Limited in Lagos State, Nigeria. International Journal of English Language and Communication Studies, 9(2), 27–39.
PwC. (2025). Perspectives from the global telecom outlook 2024–2028: A new recipe for growth. PwC. https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/tmt/assets/pwc-perspectives-from-the-global-telecom-outlook-2024-2028.pdf
Subha, K., Meena, R. N., Aarthi, R., & Madeka, I. B. (2025). Unraveling the impact of digital technologies on team dynamics and employee job performance in IT sector. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 29(1), 1–15.