Nigeria’s leading telecommunications firm, MTN is in an aggressive push to launch its 5G services in at least six locations including Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt on August 24.
It is expected that the roll out will begin with at least one city in each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
The launch will come with internet speeds of about 300mbps for fixed systems and is expected to revolutionize the way subscribers on the network interact with the internet, according to technology experts.
BusinessDay learnt that MTN is already in the process of updating equipment at its base stations in the cities selected for the 5G launch. The base station upgrade are required to optimize 5G services ahead of the launch date.
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Internet speeds on the MTN network are today around 80mbps where there is superb access to a base station but that could rise exponentially to 300mbps from August 24 this year.
This will give MTN significant edge in the highly competitive internet space in Nigeria where internet costs are at their lowest in Africa.
“There is excitement building in the air about the 5G launch,” says Ikem Onaji, a telecoms analyst. “Internet speeds of up 300mbps delivered from MTN will be a game changer. It will simply be an internet experience like never before.”
So far, not much has been heard about the preparedness of the MAFAB, the other company that won the 5G license during the auction held last year.
Under the regulation guiding the issuance of the 5G license, a winner is not allowed to trade with it or share it with any other party for an initial period of two years.
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