In line with the memorandum of information (MI) prepared ahead of the auction of two slots of spectrum in the 3.5gigahertz (GHz) spectrum set aside for early deployment of 5G technology services in the country, by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the two winners of the licences, MTN and Mafab Communication, have less than two months to begin service offering using the new platform.
According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, 5G subscriptions will hit one billion this year while it will reach 4.4 billion by 2027. Nigeria will, however, be joining the race for these milestones amid huge challenges before the two operators.
While MTN Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, has restated the readiness of the telecom giant to rollout services on the 5G spectrum even before the NCC’s timeline, industry observers are worried as nothing has been heard from the second winner of the spectrum, Mafab Communications Limited.