Nigeria Experiences Rise in 5G Subscriptions
5G subscriptions in Nigeria have grown significantly, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), they reached 2.3 million as of December 2023, a jump from 500,000 just three months earlier.
This represents 1.4% of the country’s total active mobile subscriptions, which stood at 224.7 million at year-end.
However, despite the growth in 5G, 2G remains the dominant network technology in Nigeria.
The NCC data reveals that 57.84% of all connections were still on 2G at the end of December 2023.
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3G subscriptions, introduced in 2007, accounted for 9.80%, while 4G, rolled out in 2016, held a 31.33% share. 3G ushered in the use of video calls and had significantly higher data transfer, operating at a speed of up to 2mbs, and increased bandwidth compared to the 2G network.
However, 4G subscriptions have shown a steady increase compared to May 2023, when they stood at 25.06%.
Several factors are hindering faster 5G adoption. The high cost of 5G devices is a major barrier, despite the superior quality of service offered by 5G compared to older technologies.
Three mobile network operators – MTN, Airtel, and Mafab Communications – have currently rolled out 5G services in Nigeria.
