Airtel 5G Network launched in top 4 Nigerian Cities including Abuja

Are you aware of the recent launch of Airtel 5G network? Airtel Nigeria has become the 3rd mobile network operator to implement 5G in Nigeria, following MTN Nigeria and the recently launched telecommunications Mafab. 

Airtel is currently providing 5G services in four locations within the country, which include Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and FCT Abuja, and has completed plans to extend coverage across Nigeria by the end of this financial year.

Airtel’s Journey Towards Building the 5G Network

According to reports, they were the only bidders to be active in the auction held by Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) for the 3.5GHz band spectrum. By December 2022, they had purchased 100 megahertz of the band and moved on to acquiring 2 spacing 10 megahertz at 2.6 GHz band.. The 3.5 GHz band allows for wide scope 5G coverage. 

The 2.6 GHz band will allow for a higher capacity total for the network. This strategic plan alongside a budget of 316.7 million dollars is allowing Airtel to further build the capacity of the network in Nigeria.

Importantly, Airtel Nigeria has recently renewed a current 2&10 MHz 2.1 GHz spectrum license and further initiated the introduction of voice over long term evolution (VoLTE) services in the country, leading to enhanced voice features on the network. 

The Crowned Jewel of Airtel Nigeria – 5G

This milestone was achieved on the 19th of June, 2023 when Airtel Nigeria first unveiled the modified, non-standalone version of the 5G network in Lagos after six months worth of numerous deals and integrations. 

During the unveiling, the CEO of Airtel Nigeria at the time, Carl Cruz, had a few remarks regarding the now integrated 5G network: ”5G is a quantum leap from other ‘G’ networks available currently.” These advances will allow users to experience speeds close to 100 times faster than 4G, a significant reduction in latency, as well as an increase in the overall network capacity.

He strongly thinks that with the launch of the 5G network of Airtel, life is about to get interesting and easier. Adding up, he said, “We can be limited by the limit of our imagination.”

Carl Cruz added that with the introduction of 5G, the level of interaction and cooperation between telecom players will improve, thanks to the new opportunities that will come with AI, ML, IoT, smart cities, and other technologies. There is hope that these possibilities can be brought to life by the potential of 5G technology.

Carl Cruz also showed gratitude towards the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for helping Nigeria become one of the first 60 countries to take advantage of 5G services. 

Very proudly, he said, “Airtel Nigeria is one of the early 5G adopters in Africa and the world, and we are all grateful to the Nigerian government for making it so that the Airtel 5G Network was launched in Nigeria before many nations of the world.” 

Lastly, Carl Cruz mentioned the importance of the frequency spectrum band allocated for 5G, saying it will greatly enhance the consumer experience and make it more rewarding to them.

In his conclusion, he pointed out that Airtel Nigeria focuses on making 5G technology reachable and available to a wide range of people.

“As part of the company strategy,” said Femi Oshinlaja, the Chief Commercial Officer, “We want to be able to reach a wider audience for this amazing 5G technology, which is why we are selling the router at a very reasonable price of N30,000. In addition, we have partnered with Samsung to offer the Galaxy A14 model for the lowest price possible.”

Using the Airtel 5G Network

If a user possesses a 5G-ready phone and lives in one of the 4 locations specified above, then they can use one of the selected 4G SIM cards, provided that all of the 4G SIM cards may support 5G. Therefore, there is no need to change the 4G SIM card to use 5G.

Given that 5G technology is meant to deliver high internet speeds with reduced lag time, it is critical to point out that this improvement will most likely lead to an increase in data costs. But still, the charges and rates of data will remain the same.

The adoption of Airtel’s 5G network is expected to aid in the digital transformation process of Nigeria by speeding up the use of broadband-powered services. It is going to provide robust support to the NCC to achieve the objectives outlined in the National Broadband Plan for Nigeria. This is going to assist greatly in the technological and connectivity milestones for the country.