The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reported a surge in 5G subscriptions in March this year to 2.7 million, representing 1.24% penetration rate.
The commission stated, however, that despite the 5G subscription growth, 2G remained the dominant service, representing 56.97% of all connections, while 3G had 9.04% share.
The industry regulator disclosed that 4G subscriptions had risen from 25.06% in March 2023 to 32.74% in March 2024.
Industry experts believed that the expansion of 5G services by major operators like MTN, Airtel, and Mafab Communications in some cities accounted for the increase recorded in March 2024.
However, many noted that the high cost of 5G-compatible smartphones remained a barrier to its wider adoption by telecom consumers nationwide.
Interestingly, the MNOs are investing more to expand 5G coverage as MTN, which deployed the 5G network in September 2022 and was followed by Airtel in June 2023 while Mafab deployed it later in 2023, are striving to broaden their reach.
As some analysts have pointed out, the need for a more extensive range of affordable 5G devices is key to further leverage the potential of this next-generation technology in Nigeria.
For instance, MTN’s Chief Technical Officer, Mohammed Rufai, recently stressed the importance of maintaining older networks alongside newer ones due to device compatibility issues in order to deepen the 5G network penetration in the country.
