Nigeria’s telecommunications landscape is gradually shifting toward next-generation networks, with 5G adoption showing steady growth, according to fresh data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Techeconomy can report.
Analysis of NCC’s industry statistics as of June 2025 shows that Nigeria recorded 2,092.86% 5G growth in the last one year, increasing from 0.14 per cent recorded in June 2024 to 3.07 per cent in 2025.
However, despite its upward curve, 5G still lags far behind 4G, which continues to dominate the market, while legacy 2G and 3G networks remain surprisingly resilient.
Nigeria’s three licensed and active 5G operators are MTN, Airtel, and Mafab Communications. MTN pioneered the rollout in September 2022, Airtel followed in June 2023, while Mafab began deploying its services later that year.
Although all three have continued expanding coverage, adoption has been sluggish, hindered largely by the high cost of 5G-enabled devices and the significant expenses of infrastructure deployment.
The Numbers Behind the Shift
5G: Market share climbed from 0.96% in Nov 2023 to 3.07% by Jun 2025, more than tripling in 19 months.
4G: The clear leader, rising from 29.91% in Nov 2023 to 50.80% in Jun 2025, now accounting for half of all connections in Nigeria.
2G: Declined steadily from 59.32% in Nov 2023 to 38.47% in Jun 2025, but still represents nearly 4 in 10 connections.
3G: Fell modestly from 9.90% in Nov 2023 to 7.66% in Jun 2025, as users migrate to 4G and 5G.
Trend Analysis
5G’s Growth: Uptake is encouraging but slow, limited by device affordability, coverage gaps, and rollout costs. Moving from under 1% in 2023 to just over 3% in mid-2025 shows progress, but mass adoption remains distant.
4G’s Dominance: Its rise past the 50% mark in May 2025 underscores Nigeria’s strong appetite for data services, as telcos aggressively expand LTE coverage and bundle affordable data plans.
2G’s Persistence: Despite rapid decline, 2G remains the fallback for voice and basic connectivity, especially in rural areas.
3G’s Decline shows the technology is losing relevance as operators and consumers leapfrog directly from 2G to 4G/5G.
What This Means for Nigeria’s Digital Future
Bridging digital divide: hence the coexistence of high 2G usage alongside growing 4G and emerging 5G highlights Nigeria’s urban-rural connectivity gap.
Government initiatives through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on spectrum allocation, infrastructure sharing, and affordable devices will be crucial to accelerate 5G uptake.
As 4G reaches maturity, operators will need to position 5G as a mass-market service, not just a premium urban option.
Wider 5G adoption could unlock opportunities in fintech, e-health, IoT, and smart cities, but only if rollout challenges are addressed.
While Nigeria’s 5G journey is gathering pace, the NCC statistics reveal that the country is still firmly a 4G nation, with 2G lingering as a legacy safety net.
The next two years will be critical in determining whether 5G remains a niche service or becomes the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy.
