Airtel Nigeria Buys 4G, 5G Spectrum
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Airtel Nigeria, a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, has acquired fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) spectrums from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Airtel Africa's secretary, Simon O'Hara, said in a notification to its investors Monday.

The telco said that it bought 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3500MHz band and 2x5MHz of 2600MHz from the NCC, amounting to a total of $316.7 million (N142.5 billion), Zawya Reported.

"This additional spectrum will support our investments in network expansion for both mobile data and fixed wireless home broadband capability, including 5G rollout, providing significant capacity to accommodate our continued strong data growth in the country and exceptional customer experience," the company said, as per Hallmark News.

Also, the payment for the purchased spectrum will be done in local currency, as disclosed by the firm.

According to O'Hara, the acquisition of the 2600 MHz spectrum will supplement Airtel's existing market position by providing greater network capacity and growth opportunities. The 3500 MHz bands will support network expansion for mobile data and Fixed Wireless Home Broadband capability, including 5G rollout.

"Airtel Nigeria is Airtel Africa's largest market, with significant growth potential. The company led the industry in providing affordable 4G services across the country following the deployment of a fully modernized network which facilitated a four-fold increase in data traffic over the last three years," he further added.

Segun Ogunsanya, the CEO of Airtel Africa, said that Nigeria has a lot of potential for growth in mobile services. He further emphasized that investing in new technologies and local infrastructure is a priority for the group so that they can provide reliable and affordable services to people across the country.

"5G is critical to these ambitions, and we look forward to launching new services to drive further digitalization across the country, facilitate economic progress and transform lives across Nigeria," Ogunsanya said, as reported by the Cable.

Additionally, Airtel Nigeria's deployment of 5G will enhance the availability of fixed wireless access products nationwide, which will be a strong contributing factor in meeting the National Broadband Plan targets.

Meanwhile, a report by Ericsson Mobility revealed that Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries are projected to hit 150 million subscribers by 2028.

Another report noted that there would be nearly 100 million additional mobile subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa by 2025, with Nigeria and Ethiopia accounting for almost a third of these new subscribers.

This makes Nigeria one of the most important information and communications technology (ICT) markets in Africa.