By Kingsley I. Ilechukwu, Bureau Chief, South West
Airtel Nigeria has received a greenlight from telecommunications sector umpire, the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) to fortify its 4G offerings as well as deliver 5G services to its teeming subscribers in the country.
This is because the telco has paid US$316.7m(N143.02billion) to the Commission for 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3500MHz band for the deployment of 5G network and 2x5MHz of 2600MHz to bolster its fourth-generation(4G) footprint across the country.
Airtel stated this in an announcement dubbed ‘Nigeria 4G and 5G Spectrum Acquisition.’ Airtel tariff plans NIN 5G.
As per Airtel Nigeria, the additional spectrum will support its investments in network expansion for both mobile data and fixed wireless home broadband capability, including the 5G rollout.
The Chief Executive Officer at Airtel Africa, Segun Ogunsanya, said, “Nigeria is a market with enormous potential for future growth in mobile services.
“Investment in new technologies and local infrastructure to enable this growth is a strategic priority for the Group and will ensure we are able to provide reliable and affordable services to local communities across the country. 5G is critical to these ambitions, and we look forward to launching new services to drive further digitization across the country, facilitate economic progress and transform lives across Nigeria.”
By this development, Nigeria currently boasts three telcos having 5G licenses. In 2021, MTN Nigeria and Mafab Nigeria Communications Limited won two of the available lots of 100 MHz TDD slots of 3.5 GHz band, with Airtel narrowly missing out after a frenetic showing during the auction stage.
As at the time of this report, MTN Nigeria has launched its 5G network in Lagos(south west), Abuja(north central), Port Harcourt(south south), Ibadan(south west), Kano(north west), Owerri (south east), and Maiduguri(north east). Mafab Communications Limited is about now test running its network.
