MTN Launches 5G in Nigeria- What you need to know
The launch of MTN heralds some intriguing applications across numerous industries, but the technology will only be accessible in a few significant cities.
The service may not reach your neighborhood even though it will reach several major cities.
The company’s website states that 81 locations in Lagos, 42 in Abuja, 30 in Port Harcourt, and 13 in Oyo state would offer its 5G service.
Although 5G employs a variety of technologies, the mmWave frequency is the most widely used. In a nutshell, it means that 5G will be tremendously fast yet won’t be able to cover great distances. especially if there are obstructions like large trees and buildings.
You should be more familiar if you’ve seen your DStv installers in action. This implies that even if one of the places is close, there’s a good chance the signal won’t reach your room or it will be faint.
Go Further
High-end industrial and residential settings are where MTN has started. Pricing for its 5G router is 10 times more expensive than for its 4G router in an effort to target the high-end Nigerian market rather than the general market that the company has previously pursued and won.
With its new “Own the home” campaign, the corporation hopes to attract Nigeria’s middle class. It places it directly in competition with ISPs like Swift, Tizeti, and eStreams.
While we wait for MTN’s official response, which has been taking an eternity, the CEO, Karl Toriola, had some significant information in the financials for the first half of 2022.
“Home broadband solutions and door-to-door sales are the core of our personal drive.”
We have a first-mover advantage because we are the only functioning mobile network provider with a 5G license, which allows us to expand our market penetration and attract value.
In December 2021, MTN Nigeria and the unknown Mafab Communications beat off industry titans Airtel to win the 5G licensing deal. Both businesses have until August 24, 2022, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to finish the deployment.
Mafab, however, missed the deadline, and the NCC granted the business a five-month delay.
MTN has a distinct advantage over its lone 5G service competition in addition to having an edge over other carriers like Airtel and Glo.
Toriola claims that as it invests much in the new technology, the corporation only intends to increase its 4G coverage by 5%.
The aggressive rollout of 4G comes with additional capital and lease expenditures, and there are some areas—usually in the more rural ones—where nearly no 4G handset penetration is really present.
The NCC granted Mafab a five-month extension after the company missed the deadline.
In addition to having an advantage over other telecoms like Airtel and Glo in 5G, MTN also has a sizable advantage over the only other provider of 5G services.
As it invests heavily in the new technology, the corporation only intends to increase its 4G coverage by 5%, according to Toriola.
With the accelerated rollout of 4G, “there are added capital and lease costs associated with it and there are a number of sites, typically in the more rural areas, where you actually have essentially no 4G handset penetration,” he claims.
Nigeria has now joined Kenya and South Africa in the effort to achieve widespread 5G adoption thanks to MTN’s rollout.
Although 5G has many applications, the technology has also been the subject of significant debate, which this article examined. Will MTN need to spend more money on user education? How will the telecom behemoth be outwitted by smaller rivals like Swift and Tizeti?
Some Facts
- Eight months after paying $276 million for a licence, MTN has begun the roll-out of the 5G technology in selected locations in Nigeria. Per ThisDay news, MTN plans to cover 5 cities – Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, and Kano – within one month of the rollout.
- 5G smartphones are not commonplace, so MTN wants customers to pre-order 5G routers on the MTN website for ?50,000 (~$100), which will be available in 9 states, and the Federal Capital territory. People with a 5G enabled Samsung phone should access it in a month, while iPhone users might have to wait till October.
- MTN started 5G trials in 2019, and it displayed diverse use cases to improve activities like surgeries, teaching, logistics, and entertainment. However, you’d have to pay very close attention to the exact locations, as 5G signals are quite different from 3G/4G. MTN will also be chasing a more high-value market, and it plans to bring 5G devices to every home’s doorsteps.
- MTN’s current 4G coverage stands at 75%, and it’s not planning to hit 100% as it switches focus to 5G.
