Nigerians are set to benefit from faster internet services as MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Africa invested a total of N208.56 billion in a fourth generation network and other capital expenditures during the first quarter of 2022.
According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, internet services in the country currently operate primarily on 2G and 3G networks.
He added that although 4G coverage is available to around 37% of the population, download speeds are still not competitive with countries in the same income bracket as Nigeria.
Recently, telecom operators have started increasing their investments in 4G infrastructure. According to MTN, it rolled out 2,260 4G sites in the first quarter of the year to boost penetration.
In its earnings report for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, the company said: “Capital expenditure during the period increased 80.8% from a lower base in the first quarter of 2021 and an expansion aggressive coverage to seize growth opportunities, focusing on the 4G network. and rural telephony program.
“We are also preloading part of our investment plan for the year as part of supply chain disruption risk mitigation. Core investments, excluding right-of-use assets, increased by 156.8%, with investment intensity of 17.2% remaining within target levels. We deployed 2,260 4G sites, representing approximately 85% of the total number of sites deployed during the period and reflecting solid data revenue growth.
The company added that 4G now accounts for 76% of data traffic and covers around 72% of the population.
In its earnings report for the year ended March 31, 2022, Airtel said: “We have continued to invest in our network by expanding 4G coverage and building capacity to meet the future needs of our customers and continue to provide them with broadband access. The data.
“Our expansion of 4G network capacity across our footprint and connecting rural areas through the deployment of new sites remained our two main areas of focus. Our investment in the 4G network through unique RAN technology has resulted in both the expansion of our 4G coverage and the improvement of network capacity.
“At the end of FY22, 87.6 [er cent of our total sites are now on 4G, compared to 76.5 per cent in the previous year.”
The firm added that 99 per cent of its sites in Nigeria now have 4G capabilities.
According to the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020 – 2025), 4G LTE network is needed to achieve the kind of download speeds Nigerians need.
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