Nigeria could also be Africa’s largest smartphone market, however the nation’s transition to next-generation connectivity stays painfully sluggish. New knowledge from the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC) reveals that simply 57,200 gadgets nationwide are 5G-enabled, 0.05% of the nation’s 140 million smartphone customers.
In accordance with the NCC’s Nigeria Community Efficiency and 5G Alternative Evaluation, greater than 41,057 of those 5G-capable gadgets are concentrated in Lagos, whereas Abuja accounts for roughly 16,000. The 2 areas characterize almost all of Nigeria’s 5G system possession, underscoring the stark urban-rural digital divide that continues to outline the nation’s cellular panorama.
Whereas the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos boast community efficiency ranges 40–50% above the nationwide common, a lot of the nation nonetheless is dependent upon 2G and 3G connections. Rural areas, specifically, expertise slower speeds, poor high quality, and unreliable protection, limiting entry to digital providers akin to on-line schooling, e-commerce, and cellular banking. The NCC report requires the pressing enlargement of 4G and 5G infrastructure past Nigeria’s city hubs to make sure equitable digital inclusion.
Regardless of its restricted attain, the deployment of 5G in Nigeria has been hailed as a milestone because the first business rollout by MTN Nigeria in 2022. To date, solely MTN and Airtel have launched 5G commercially. Mafab Communications, which holds a 5G licence is but to launch, three years after securing the licence.
Operators akin to MTN and Airtel proceed to drive community modernization, however adoption stays constrained by each system affordability and protection gaps.
Information reveals that MTN presently delivers the strongest nationwide efficiency, with constantly excessive obtain, add speeds and low latency. Airtel follows intently, excelling in obtain speeds however nonetheless displaying room for enchancment in latency. Nonetheless, even amongst these high operators, 5G efficiency lags, with protection gaps of over 70% in Lagos and 65% in Abuja. Which means even customers with 5G-capable telephones usually can’t entry the community constantly.
The affordability problem stays a crucial bottleneck. As of 2025, entry-level 5G smartphones price between ₦160,000 ($114.29) and ₦200,000 ($142.86), whereas mid-range choices fall within the ₦250,000 ($178.57)–₦400,000 ($285.71) bracket, in a rustic the place the minimal wage is at ₦70,000 ($50.00).
Premium fashions just like the iPhone 15 sequence and Samsung S24 Extremely retail between ₦1 million ($714.29) and ₦3 million ($2,142.86), far past the attain of most Nigerians. The GSMA estimates that an entry-level smartphone nonetheless prices about 48% of a low-income earner’s month-to-month revenue, leaving tens of millions reliant on older 3G and 4G gadgets.
Nigeria’s smartphone penetration fee presently stands between 65% and 68%, making it one of many fastest-growing markets globally. That determine is predicted to surpass 70% by 2026, reaching 150 million energetic customers. But, the gulf between smartphone possession and entry to high-speed connectivity stays broad.
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