MTN to leverage 5G for expansion, woos investors to Nigeria

Telecommunications firm, MTN, has revealed plans to latch onto the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology to expand its services in Nigeria.

The operator said its plans would rely on the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), which it described as the major determinant of 5G roll-out in Nigeria.

MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Mohammed Rufai stated that its 5G service roll out plans will be guided by the regulator’s guidelines and timelines.

He noted that the company can only begin to roll out 5G services in Nigeria when spectrum is made available and licences are issued.

“Having said that, we are excited about the opportunities that 5G represents, and eager to participate in the licensing process. The speed and latency that 5G technology offers users is very impressive, and opens up a wealth of possibilities to leverage the Internet of Things and digital services in general,” said Rufai at a tech platform monitored by The Guardian.

According to Rufai, 5G will make businesses more efficient and enable consumers to have access to more information at very high data transfer speeds.

“We demonstrated some of those capabilities to customers and other stakeholders when we worked with the federal government to try 5G in Abuja, Lagos and Calabar in 2019.”

While the NCC has fixed N75 billion for 5G spectrum and licensing, the Federal Government is hoping for early deployment, anytime from now.

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, had earlier in the month announced the government’s approval of 5G at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting September 8.

He said 5G roll out in Nigeria will be in phases, starting with major cities where there is need for high quality broadband.

IN a related development, MTN Nigeria joined the Federal Government delegation to woo investors participating at this year’s edition of the US-Nigerian Investment Summit, which was held September 17-18, in New York City.

The participation was in furtherance of the company’s commitment to partner with the FG through the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, to attract investors and investment to Nigeria at the summit themed “Nigeria: The Future of Global Business.”

The event, which built on the success of the 2018 maiden edition, had in attendance chief executive officer, MTN Nigeria, Olutokun Toriola as well as chief financial officer, Kadiri.

Toriola, who spoke at the event, highlighted opportunities in Nigeria with MTN Nigeria’s success story as a reference.

“We are passionate about the development of our economy. This can be seen in our unrelenting efforts in working with Government and institutions in different sectors to advance economic growth in our nation. We believe in the many opportunities Nigeria avails investors, and our 20-year journey is a testament to the promise the country holds,” said Toriola.