Nigeria’s 5G network has recorded steady growth, with mobile subscriptions hitting 4.05 million as of December 2024, marking two years since MTN Nigeria introduced the technology.
At the same time, the country’s overall mobile subscriptions bounced back to 164.65 million, following a decline to 154.63 million in September 2024 due to an audit conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Between March and September, 64.37 million lines were removed from the national database. While some of these disconnections resulted from the conclusion of the Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs) and National Identification Number (NIN) linkage exercise, the majority stemmed from a discrepancy in Globacom’s reported subscriber base, which was found to be inflated by approximately 40 million.
A closer look at the subscriber distribution shows that MTN leads with 84.61 million users, followed by Airtel with 56.62 million, Glo at 20.14 million, and 9mobile with 3.28 million. The majority of active mobile users (47.20%) remain on 4G networks, while 5G subscribers make up just 2.46% of the total.
The introduction of 5G in Nigeria began in 2021 when MTN Nigeria and Mafab Nigeria Communications Limited secured two available lots of 100 MHz TDD slots in the 3.5 GHz band during an auction. Airtel later joined the race by obtaining its 5G license in 2022.
Designed to deliver significantly faster internet speeds, 5G is being rolled out at a time when internet usage in Nigeria has been on the rise. Data consumption in the country soared to a record 973,455.35 terabytes in December 2024.
Karl Toriola, Chief Executive Officer of MTNN, emphasized the transformative impact of the new technology, stating, “5G will change everything. It will allow us to connect, create, collaborate, and compete in ways we cannot imagine yet.”
The GSMA, the global telecommunications industry body, projects that increased adoption of 5G will contribute $10 billion to Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African economies by 2030, accounting for six percent of mobile’s total economic impact. By then, Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya are expected to dominate the region’s 5G landscape, making up more than half of all connections.
While 5G expansion is ongoing, its reach remains limited. According to the NCC, only about 30 cities currently have 5G coverage.
“Nigeria is still grappling with 5G. I can say that the network is still in less than 30 cities in the country. So, we still have a long way to go. But we have strategies to deploy the service in Nigeria. 4G LTE has not even covered the entire country,” said Ubale Maska, the Executive Commissioner of Technical Standard.
Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy, also pointed out that inadequate infrastructure has hindered 5G’s expansion. “The infrastructure that drives 5G is not something that is across the nation,” he remarked.
Despite its potential, 5G is unlikely to become the dominant network in Nigeria in the near future. Analysts predict that 4G will continue to be the leading mobile network across the country and Africa until at least 2029.
“In the pursuit of modernisation and enhanced connectivity, subscribers are constantly migrating toward 4G networks. This trajectory indicates that 4G will be the primary driver for new subscriptions up to the year 2028,” Ericsson stated in its latest mobility report.
While 5G adoption is gradually increasing, Nigeria’s telecom landscape will continue to be shaped by 4G in the coming years.
