Nigeria 4G and 5G Spectrum Acquisition
London and Lagos, 9 January 2023: Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money
services, with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, announces that its Nigerian subsidiary, Airtel Networks
Limited (‘Airtel Nigeria’), has purchased 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3500MHz band and 2x5MHz of 2600MHz
from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for a gross consideration of $316.7m, payable in local
currency. This additional spectrum will support our investments in network expansion for both mobile data and
fixed wireless home broadband capability, including 5G rollout, providing significant capacity to accommodate
our continued strong data growth in the country and exceptional customer experience.
Airtel Nigeria is Airtel Africa’s largest market, with significant growth potential. The company led the industry in
providing affordable 4G services across the country following the deployment of a fully modernised network
which facilitated a 4-fold increase in data traffic over the last three years. The penetration of data customers in
Nigeria remains low, providing significant opportunity for future growth.
The acquisition of 5G spectrum will underpin our growth strategy by enabling the launch of higher speed
connectivity to enhance customer service and accelerate digitalisation for consumers, enterprises and the public
sector. The key benefits of 5G will include higher speeds, lower latency, significant network capacity as well as
an improved user experience. Furthermore, the deployment of 5G will accelerate the availability and efficiency
of fixed wireless access products across the country, contributing towards Airtel Nigeria’s progress in meeting
the National Broadband Plan targets. The acquisition of 2600MHz spectrum will complement our already strong
spectrum position in the market to enhance network capacity and future-proof our growth opportunity.
Segun Ogunsanya, CEO of Airtel Africa commented:
“Nigeria is a market with enormous potential for future growth in mobile services. Investment in new
technologies and local infrastructure to enable this growth is a strategic priority for the Group and will ensure
we are able to provide reliable and affordable services to local communities across the country. 5G is critical to
these ambitions, and we look forward to launching new services to drive further digitalisation across the country,
facilitate economic progress and transform lives across Nigeria.”
