MTN Nigeria has disclosed that its network is the largest in Nigeria and Africa, with more than 30,000 km of fibre optic cable and over 17,000 sites delivering 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G services.
The Chief technical officer, MTN Nigeria, Mohammed Rufia, who disclosed this in a press statement made available to NATIONAL ECONOMY said the mix of services ensures that the network provider can progressively expand reach and service quality in a way that balances the need to ensure as many Nigerians as possible can access a connection while bringing cutting-edge services into the market.
During H1 2022, Rufia said, MTN Nigeria added 370 rural sites, bringing the total to 1,553, as part of the company’s continued work to connect the unconnected.
“While we are making good progress in delivering against our ambition to build a network for everyone, we know there is still a lot of work to do. We still have communities to connect and a great demand for faster and better services in communities that rely on 2G and other legacy technologies.
“The process of network evolution is constant. 2G was deployed progressively to cover over 90 per cent of the population over the years; 3G was deployed in a similar progressive fashion, as was 4G, which today covers three out of every four Nigerians. The evolution to 5G will follow the same pattern. This process drives better services to more people over time,” he assured.
Speaking on the benefits of 5G to Nigerians, the CTO said, while 2G network was built for voice and SMS communications; 3G for web browsing; 4G for higher-speed data and video streaming, 5G is set to further redefine how Nigerians live, work and connect, adding that, its potential to accelerate the adoption of the internet of things and to radically expand the potential for real-time connectivity truly is revolutionary.
With the ongoing rollout, Rufia said customers with compatible devices are now able to experience what 5G offers for themselves in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri and Maiduguri.
“5G is a giant leap forward in speed, capacity and capabilities, significantly exceeding the advances that were made as we evolved from 2G to 3G and 4G. It will dramatically enhance user experience at all levels making possible a vast array of innovations, such as robotics, and augmented and virtual reality,” he said.
He however encouraged Nigerians living in areas that have 5G, to go to MTN website and get themselves a 5G router, while adding that, “with enhanced speed comes the potential for increased usage. The 1GB you might have downloaded in 10 minutes on 4G takes less than a minute on 5G, so managing data consumption is vital.”
