Despite the excitement that preceded the rollout of 5G network by telecom operators in Nigeria in 2022, its penetration has been at snail’s speed as operators blame issues like vandalism, high cost of telecoms equipment, and weak investments in the Nigerian telecoms sector as reasons why Nigerians are yet to enjoy the full benefits of 5G network three years after launch, writes Emma Okonji
There were lots of promises from telecoms operators when 5G was commercially launched in Nigeria in 2022. The promises expectedly presented the rollout of 5G network as a game changer in the telecoms industry.
The hype before the launch was so high to the extent that subscribers were eager to abandon other technologies like 2G, 3G, and 4G, just to feel the impact and speed that 5G would bring to the telecoms space.
But three years after its commercial launch, more subscribers still prefer the services of 2G and 4G networks for connectivity, because 5G is not available as expected.
The latest statistics on the percentage of market share of the various generation networks currently deployed in Nigeria, which were released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, have further revealed that more subscribers are on 3G and 4G networks, with little penetration of 5G networks in a few states of the country.
5G Rollout
Following the issuance of 5G licences to MTN Nigeria and Airtel Network, MTN, in September 2022, launched its commercial 5G network in Lagos, with a promise to carry out a 5G commercial launch in six other cities, which include: Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri.
Speaking during the commercial launch in Lagos, its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Karl Toriola, said the Lagos 5G commercial launch was in fulfillment of MTN’s earlier promise to begin 5G commercial launch in cities, within one month of 5G rollout.
According to him, the advanced 5G technology promises to extend the reach and capacity of MTN Nigeria’s data network in Nigeria and enable much faster speeds and lower latency, giving customers near-instant access to the things they care about and downloads that take seconds, instead of minutes.
Also, Airtel, in June 2023, launched its 5G network in four states in Nigeria, with plans to cover the entire country by the end of the year. The four states were Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and Abuja, and they also made lots of promises to Nigerian subscribers.
Speaking during the 5G launch in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Carl Cruz, said: “The 5G revolution opens a new vista of opportunities and it is a quantum leap from the existing 4G network.”
According to him, 5G is a completely new experience that supercharges cloud computing, telemedicine, self-driving cars, cloud gaming, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Internet of Things (IoT). “With 5G, we can only be limited by the limits of our imagination,” Cruz further said.
5G Penetration
According to the statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NCC, 5G penetration, the fifth generation technology and the latest technology deployed in Nigeria, still drags at 2.81 per cent penetration level, while 2G network, which was deployed from the inception of GSM rollout in 2001, has reached 39.67 per cent penetration level as at April 2025. Also, 4G technology, which was rolled out after the 2G network, is currently leading with a 49.27 per cent penetration level as of April 2025.
From the statistics, the 4G network has maintained the lead in penetration level since July 2024, when it attained a 44.90 penetration level to surpass the 2G penetration level, which had hitherto maintained the highest penetration level.
As of January 2024, the 2G penetration level was 57.78 per cent, 4G penetration was 31.75 per cent, 3G penetration was 9.36 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 1.11 per cent.
In February 2024, the 2G penetration level was 57.55 per cent, 4G penetration was 32.11 per cent, 3G penetration was 9.17 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 1.18 per cent.
In March 2024, the 2G penetration level was 56.97 per cent, 4G penetration was 32.74 per cent, 3G penetration was 9.04 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 1.24 per cent.
In April 2024, the 2G penetration was 56.22 per cent, 4G penetration was 33.56 per cent, 3G penetration was 8.92 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 1.31 per cent.
In May 2024, the 2G penetration was 44.86 per cent, 4G penetration was 42.63 per cent, 3G penetration was 10.78 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 1.73 per cent.
In June 2024, the 2G penetration was 44.30 per cent, 4G penetration was 43.35 per cent, 3G penetration was 10.54 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 1.81 per cent.
In July 2024, the 2G penetration was 42.72 per cent, 4G penetration was 44.90 per cent, 3G penetration was 10.43 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 1.95 per cent.
In August 2024, the 2G penetration was 41.36 per cent, 4G penetration was 46.28 per cent, 3G penetration was 10.24 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.12 per cent.
In September 2024, the 2G penetration was 43.53 per cent, 4G penetration was 44.96 per cent, 3G penetration was 9.32 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.19 per cent.
In October 2024, the 2G penetration was 42 per cent, 4G penetration was 46.27 per cent, 3G penetration was 9.40 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.33 per cent.
In November 2024, the 2G penetration was 41.50 per cent, 4G penetration was 47.09 per cent, 3G penetration was 9.03 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.39 per cent.
In December 2024, the 2G penetration was 41.59 per cent, 4G penetration was 47.20 per cent, 3G penetration was 8.75 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.46 per cent.
In January 2025, the 2G penetration was 41.63 per cent, 4G penetration was 47.23 per cent, 3G penetration was 8.60 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.54 per cent.
In February 2025, the 2G penetration was 40.93 per cent, 4G penetration was 47.98 per cent, 3G penetration was 8.48 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.61 per cent.
In March 2025, the 2G penetration was 40.08 per cent, 4G penetration was 48.82 per cent, 3G penetration was 8.40 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.70 per cent.
In April 2025, the 2G penetration was 39.67 per cent, 4G penetration was 49.27 per cent, 3G penetration was 8.25 per cent, while 5G penetration level was 2.81 per cent.
Impediment of 5G Rollout
Giving reasons for the slow rollout and adoption of 5G services, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said several factors contributed to the slow penetration of 5G, which according to him, include: widespread vandalism of telecoms facilities, the devaluation of Naira, high cost of purchasing telecoms equipment, and weak investments in the Nigerian telecoms sector, which he said, slowed down network expansion and 5G rollout.
In the areas of vandalism and weak investment, Adebayo in the last three years, telecoms operators were running at a loss, as a result of the harsh business environment caused by vandalism of telecoms infrastructure and the inability of telecoms operators to expand its network and purchase 5G equipment, as a result of the weak value of the Naira.
“So there was no meaningful investment in the telecoms sector in the last three years, because of the challenges in the sector, and all of that largely affected the widespread rollout of 5G networks. It was for this reason that we asked for a 100 per cent hike in telecoms tariff, but we got a 50 per cent hike in January this year, approved by the NCC, which was reasonable.
“So, what the tariff hike will do for us is that it will bring the industry out of the woods, because really and truly, we were in a bad situation, and the sector was dying gradually. Now that we have this tariff review in place, we need to begin the recovery process that will improve telecoms services and enable 5G rollout.
“We will now start our recovery process as an industry, part of which will be to put customer satisfaction and quality of service at the forefront. Given this new development, we need to go back to rebuild, to optimise systems, and then ensure that we deliver services, including 5G services that are best-in-class to the subscribers,” Adebayo said.
