Mafab Communications, a Nigerian telco that secured a 5G licence in 2021, will start operations by the tip of Q1 2025, the corporate’s chief working officer Adebayo Onigbanjo advised TechCabal. This may mark the primary time Mafab’s companies will likely be commercially accessible, practically three years after the corporate entered the 5G market.
Mafab will launch its 5G companies with 102 operational websites in Kano and Abuja and subscribers might want to purchase routers to hook up with the community. The corporate can also be collaborating with a number of distributors to construct out these websites in phases.
Mafab Communications secured its 5G license on the identical day as MTN. Nonetheless, whereas MTN launched its 5G companies simply eight months later, Mafab—a more recent firm—confronted delays in deploying its community as a consequence of an absence of telecom infrastructure. Compounding the delays, Mafab didn’t obtain its Unified Entry Service License (UASL) and numbering plan till July 2022. Consequently, the corporate utilized for an extension from the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC), pushing its rollout deadline to January 2023.
After its January 2023 launch occasion, the corporate started promoting the sale of 5G routers on its web site, however consumers couldn’t activate the service, TechCabal discovered. The sale of the routers has since been suspended as the corporate works to finish its infrastructure buildout.
Though the 5G market continues to be early in Nigeria, the delays depart Mafab taking part in meet up with rivals like MTN and Airtel, particularly in Lagos, Nigeria’s business hub the place a lot of the subscribers are at the moment situated. Mafab continues to be engaged on its Lagos websites however has not but introduced when companies will go dwell there.
“As with many telecoms operators, overseas alternate (FX) fluctuations have been a significant problem, resulting in elevated rollout prices in comparison with the preliminary projections,” COO Adedayo Onigbanjo stated.
Nigeria’s 5G market has been rising since its business rollout in August 2022, led by MTN Nigeria. In October 2024, 5G accounted for two.33% of the nation’s web subscribers, with MTN Nigeria commanding 79% market share and Airtel Africa holding round 20%. Mafab’s deliberate Q1 rollout is anticipated to drive additional adoption, particularly in cities outdoors Lagos and Abuja. The corporate has centered on strengthening its infrastructure and increasing protection in Kano and Abuja to assist broader 5G entry, in response to Onigbanjo. This consists of constructing out a Radio Entry Community (RAN), transport programs, and clever networks to attach person gadgets —resembling smartphones and IoT devices—to its core telecom community.