Mafab Communications to launch 5G network in Nigeria with an event at Abuja today

Mafab Communications will introduce its 5G network services to the public in Abuja and Lagos, as well as reveal its brand logo. BusinessDay said that the logo would be shown to the public at events on Tuesday in Abuja and on Thursday in Lagos. It will be a closed event, with only invited guests and media representatives present.

Remember that on December 13, 2021, MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications were the top winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction that was held in Abuja by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Both companies were awarded 5G licences as a result of their success in the auction. By February 24, 2022, they had paid the $547.2 million licence fee to the federal government.

According to the Information Memorandum (IM) for the 5G spectrum auction, the service must be rolled out in Nigeria by the end of August 2022; MTN plans to launch a pilot programme in the country that month and go commercial in September of that year. More than eighty-one locations in Lagos are now connected to MTN, and the company is also expanding to Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri.

Previously, Mafab had requested an additional five months from the NCC. After initial delays in receiving its unified operational licence (USAL) and numbering plan, Mafab announced in a statement that it would be granted a five-month extension, bringing the new deadline to the end of July 2022.

In a press release, Mafab Communications Limited’s chairman, Dr. Mushabu Bashir, was quoted as saying, “We are fully committed to bringing the benefits of 5G services to Nigerians and deploying a network that will drive economic development with increased broadband capabilities nationwide. I have no doubt that the service will help deliver improvements in the fields of education, business, smart cities and entertainment.” 

Nigeria, like many other nations, has undergone a change and seen an increase in internet penetration. The telecom sector has been instrumental in bringing communications to virtually every corner of the country.

From 1G to 4G and now to 5G, cellular data coverage has improved dramatically. As of 2021, both 100 MHz TDD slots in the 3.5 GHz band have been claimed by MTN Nigeria and Mafab Nigeria Communications Limited.

A second telecom company, Airtel, submitted the Intention to Bid Deposit (IBD) in December 2022, making it clear that it intended to submit a bid in accordance with the terms outlined in the Information Memorandum (IM). The telecom giant took another step toward obtaining the necessary licence to roll out Nigeria’s 5G network.

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria disclosed $547 million in revenue from 5G spectrum auctions at the close of 2022. It’s clear now that the IT industry’s 18.47% share of GDP is having a major effect on the economy.