Knowledge launched by the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC) has revealed that 5G connections within the nation elevated to 4 million in December 2024.
This, nevertheless, represents 2.46% of the nation’s complete lively subscriptions for phone companies, which stood at 164.6 million on the finish of the yr.
Three cellular community operators, MTN, Airtel, and Mafab Communications have rolled out 5G in Nigeria.
Nevertheless, whereas the operators proceed to spend money on increasing the service, a number of components, together with the excessive price of 5G units, have slowed down subscriptions for the service, which affords the very best quality of expertise in contrast with 2G, 3G, and 4G.
The rising price of operation pushed by excessive inflation and the Nigerian foreign money devaluation, has seen the operators decelerate their investments in 5G growth.
4G takes the lead
In keeping with NCC, the yr 2024 noticed 4G turn out to be the dominant expertise within the nation as telecom operators expanded the service.
- As of December 2023, most phone connections in Nigeria have been nonetheless on 2G because the expertise accounted for 57.84% of all connections in Nigeria.
- Nevertheless, that modified in 2024 with 4G accounting for 47.20% of complete connections within the nation, whereas 2G got here second at 41.59%.
- The telecom business statistics additional present that 8.75% of the 164.6 million cellular subscriptions have been on 3G, the next era of community launched in Nigeria in 2007.
- 3G ushered in the usage of video calls and had considerably increased knowledge switch, working at a pace of as much as 2mbs, and elevated bandwidth in comparison with the 2G community.
The gadget constraint for 5G
Whereas the three telecom operators have deployed 5G infrastructure throughout main cities within the nation, particularly, Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt, the service suppliers are seeing sluggish adoption because of the gadget limitation.
- Usually, the prices of smartphones are excessive in Nigeria on account of hovering inflation, however the prices of 5G smartphones are increased, thus deterring many who would have cherished to improve to a 5G connection.
- In keeping with the instant previous Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mohammed Rufai, the issue of gadget compatibility is the rationale the telecom operators have continued to keep up their 2G and 3G networks whereas investing in 4G and 5G.
“As you might be conscious, units should be appropriate with 5G for them for use. Now we have many subscribers in Nigeria who’ve 2G and 3G units, and we are going to proceed to cater to the wants of these subscribers,” he mentioned in a current interview with Nairametrics.
However the problem is just not peculiar to Nigeria based on a current report from the Worldwide Telecommunications Union (ITU), which confirmed that 5G protection in Africa was the bottom on this planet at 6% as of December 2023.
What it is best to know
MTN launched the primary 5G community in Nigeria in September 2022, whereas Airtel launched the identical in June 2023. Mafab Communications, which secured the 5G licence concurrently MTN couldn’t roll out the service till late 2023 when it started to promote its routers.
- MTN initially rolled out its 5G service in seven cities together with Lagos Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri and is presently increasing the service.
- Airtel at launch in June final yr rolled out the service in 4 states together with Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, and Ogun with plans to roll out in six extra states inside the first yr of the launch.
- Mafab additionally launched its 5G service in Abuja with a promise that the primary part of its rollout could be in six cities throughout the nation in achievement of the rollout obligations as contained within the licensing doc.
