Nigerian telecommunications company MTN has just launched a nationwide 5G mobile internet service in 190 locations, with the largest number of stations located in the capital cities of Lagos and Abuja.
According to reports, some consumers in these places are already enjoying internet rates of more than 1.4GB per second.
The National Communication Commission (NCC) of the country had originally chosen Wednesday, August 24, as the date for the launch of 5G following nearly three years of planning by the Federal Government.
However, compared to other economies, Nigeria’s 5G rollout has trailed behind because of cumbersome laws and lengthy licensing processes for spectrum auctions.
Nigerians were still waiting for the Federal Government to approve the introduction of the technology in July 2021, despite the NCC’s claims that it was.
Mafab apparently received a five-month extension for its 5G rollout across the nation, whereas MTN was able to start its 5G on schedule.
As of February, MTN and Mafab both had to pay a total of $550 million for licenses.
MTN Nigeria anticipates that by October, the number of 5G sites would have rapidly increased, covering 500–600 more locations throughout the most populous country in Africa.
As of right now, not every user will be able to utilize 5G, but because some mobile devices need software updates in order to access the service, other devices might not be able to use it at all.
Nigeria has now joined Kenya and South Africa as the three African countries to introduce 5G services.
Read more on Tech Gist Africa:
MTN Ghana plans to launch 5G next year in the country
Nokia and Safaricom have launched the first commercial 5G services in East Africa in Kenya
According to reports, Google’s upcoming Pixel smartphone would use Samsung’s 5G modem technology
