Yesterday, the parent company of the Nigerian subsidiary, Airtel Africa Plc, which trades its shares on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, disclosed this.
The NCC had in a statement, disclosed that by the close of business on December 5, 2022, only two companies, Airtel and Standard Network & Connections Limited expressed interest in the auction of the 3.5GHz Spectrum band for 5G deployment in the second auction. With the licenses, Airtel said this would ensure that its subscribers enjoy better Internet services. Checks by The Guardian showed that as of November 2022, out of the 320 million connected telephone lines in Nigeria, Airtel services 59.3 million users, which is about 27.16 per cent market reach.
“The acquisition of 5G spectrum will underpin our growth strategy by enabling the launch of higher speed connectivity to enhance customer service and accelerate digitalisation for consumers, enterprises and the public sector. The key benefits of 5G will include higher speeds, lower latency, significant network capacity as well as an improved user experience.