Nigeria’s 5G telecom landscape which rolled out in 2022 is set to get a boost in the first quarter of next year, 2025, when Mafab Communications, a Nigerian telco begins to play actively in that space.
The disclosure of Mafab’s commencement of 5G operations was made by the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Adebayo Onigbanjo as reported by TechCabal, a leading Nigerian online media platform.
It would be recalled that Mafab secured a 5G licence in 2021; but ecountered delays in deploying its network due to a lack of telecom infrastructure.
Worse still, the company did not receive its Unified Access Service License (UASL) and numbering plan until July 2022. As a result, the company applied for an extension from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), pushing its rollout deadline to January 2023.
After its January 2023 launch event, the company began advertising the sale of 5G routers on its website, but buyers could not activate the service, as detailed by TechCabal.
The sale of the routers has since been suspended as the company works to complete its infrastructure build out.
Thus, Q1 2025 will mark the first time Mafab’s services will be commercially available, nearly three years after the company entered the 5G market.
For a start, the company will launch its 5G services with 102 operational sites in Kano and Abuja and subscribers will need to buy routers to connect to the network. The company is also collaborating with multiple vendors to build out these sites in phases.
Although the 5G market is still early in Nigeria, the delays leave Mafab playing catch up with competitors like MTN and Airtel, especially in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub where most of the subscribers are currently located. Mafab is still working on its Lagos sites but has not yet announced when services will go live there.
In the words of the Chief Operating Officer, “As with many telecoms operators, foreign exchange (FX) fluctuations have been a major challenge, leading to increased rollout costs compared to the initial projections”.
Nigeria’s 5G market has been growing since its commercial rollout in August 2022, led by MTN Nigeria. In October 2024, 5G accounted for 2.33% of the country’s internet subscribers, with MTN Nigeria commanding 79% market share and Airtel Africa holding around 20%. Mafab’s planned Q1 rollout is expected to drive further adoption, especially in cities outside Lagos and Abuja. The company has focused on strengthening its infrastructure and expanding coverage in Kano and Abuja to support broader 5G access, according to Onigbanjo. This includes building out a Radio Access Network (RAN), transport systems, and intelligent networks to connect user devices —such as smartphones and IoT gadgets—to its core telecom network.
ABOUT Mafab Communications:
Mafab Communications (now operating as Mcom) is a telecom company that offers standalone 5G services. It was the first telco to acquire the 5G license in 2021, alongside MTN; followed by Airtel the following year.
One of the fundamental distinctions within the realm of 5G networks is the differentiation between Standalone (SA) and Non-Standalone (NSA) modes. The 5G Standalone (5G SA) has emerged as a powerful catalyst for industry digitalization. This revolutionary development is poised to usher a new era of connectivity for users, enterprise businesses and institutions across multiple industries, including healthcare, finance, energy and utilities, retail, manufacturing, among others.
5G SA isn’t just about faster internet; it’s a transformative network architecture that brings forth a myriad of benefits. Beyond the promise of more bandwidth, it introduces ultra-reliable low latency communications. This low latency is a game-changer for applications that demand near-real-time responsiveness. Think about autonomous driving vehicles navigating our roads, telemedicine, and machine vision enhancing various industries. Some other revolutionary innovations users will experience are Voice over New Radio (VoNR) and Video over New Radio (VoNR), which enable voice and video calls to be made over 5G SA networks without relying on LTE as the anchor. VoNR is the successor to Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which allows voice calls to be made over 4G LTE networks.
Another key feature of 5G SA lies in its capacity to support massive IoT (Internet of Things) ecosystems. With specialized machine-to-machine communication protocols, it opens up new possibilities for interconnected devices and services. This allows for the efficient management of countless devices, making smart cities, industrial automation, and healthcare applications more practical and efficient.
Moreover, 5G SA’s standalone architecture ensures that it is fully independent of 4G networks. This autonomy means greater reliability and resilience, reducing the risk of network congestion and downtime.
According to Adam Simmons, an industry expert, there are over 1 billion 5G connections worldwide, encompassing both SA and NSA versions. However, most of these connections still rely on Non-Standalone (NSA) networks that utilize 4G LTE networks as a fallback. SA 5G is commonly seen as an Independent 5G standard as it operates without the need for support from other generations. It offers the fastest wireless connection, enabling users to connect directly to the digital world without limitations.
The launch of 5G network in Nigeria has heralded a new era of innovation and connectivity, revolutionizing how Nigerians interact with technology. With remarkably improved download and upload speeds, low latency and superior network connectivity, it enhances a wide range of applications and innovations, including cloud computing, telemedicine, cloud gaming, Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual Reality (VR), and smart homes.
In Nigeria, only Mcom offers standalone 5G, a transformative development in the country’s digital landscape.
With a standalone 5G network, users, including SMEs, home users, gamers, enterprises, among others, can experience the full capabilities of 5G without dependence on older generation networks. This translates to a stronger, more stable connection with reduced latency, ensuring uninterrupted access to the digital world while eliminating delays and connectivity fluctuations.
In summary, the advent of 5G technology has reshaped the landscape of connectivity, transforming how we engage with the digital world.
While Airtel and MTN have integrated 5G into their installed based network, which makes sense, Mcom stands out for its exclusive provision of true 5G Standalone capabilities as a greenfield player. Its network ensures that users enjoy seamless, efficient, and stable connections without reliance on older generation networks.
As technology continues to evolve, Mcom is at the forefront, setting new connectivity standards with its 5G experience, propelling Nigeria into a future of unparalleled connectivity.
