MTN Rolls Out 5G Network Across Nigeria

MTN Nigeria Communications Plc kicked off 5G services today across 190 sites making it the first of telecommunication service provider to do so in Nigeria.

The Telecom firm revealed that it plans to roll out 5G services in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri soon. Also, according to reports, Nigeria joins South Africa and Kenya in the 5G race.

MTN won the auction for the 3.5GHz 5G spectrum alongside Mafab Communications in December 2021 and switched on the 5G network in 190 sites across the country.

Also Read: MTN Targets 43m Households With Home Broadband Services

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, 5G licensees are supposed to begin rollout commencement on the 24th of August. Mafab Communications Limited, the only other telecommunication firm with a 5G licence, has since announced that it will miss out on the commission’s target.

Mafab has been granted a 5-month extension to begin its own roll-out, MTN is expected to increase the number of 5G sites it operates to 600 by October.

MTN had began 5G network trials in 2019 in partnership with Huawei, ZTE, and Ericsson. Mobile phone users will only be able to access the network if their phone makers deliver the update required to allow them access.

Additionally, with this development, the firm noted that some phone users may begin enjoying the service in soon while it could take to October for others to get the update.