This new collaboration between these tech giants was very much expected, given the fact that they had signed a memorandum of understanding around late February, 2024.

The collaboration, first revealed in a memorandum of understanding signed in late February 2024, was officially announced last week at the Mobile World Congress.

The deal aims to ensure smarter, more automated networks, supporting MTN’s goal to extend coverage to 95% of the African continent.

A Push Towards AI-Powered Telecom Networks

Under the agreement, Huawei will deploy its latest network intelligence technology to help MTN achieve Autonomous Network Level 4 (ANL4).

This AI-driven tool can detect network issues, optimise performance, and predict problems before they occur.

In simple terms, MTN’s networks will be able to self-monitor, self-improve, and self-repair. Users could experience faster speeds, fewer service interruptions, and more reliable connectivity, while network operations may require less manual oversight.

Bridging the Digital Divide in Africa

The partnership also targets underserved regions as MTN and Huawei plan to roll out compact, cost-effective base stations to expand coverage in rural areas.

With Africa’s demand for reliable internet growing, this collaboration could connect communities that currently face unreliable access, ending stubborn challenges across the region.

Why Huawei Chooses MTN

Huawei works with telecom operators worldwide, but its relationship with MTN has grown particularly strong. MTN’s reach is a key factor, as the operator serves over 300 million users in Africa, including 85 million in Nigeria alone.

For Huawei, this provides a fast track to scale new technologies across multiple markets.

MTN’s proactive adoption of new technologies, from AI-managed systems to 5G networks and cloud-based infrastructure, aligns with Huawei’s goal to enhance connectivity in emerging markets.

Again, MTN has been a long-term customer for Huawei’s network equipment, from base stations to fibre-optic systems, making the partnership both practical and strategic.

As the demand for data increases and digital services become indispensable to daily life, telecom networks must evolve.

The Huawei-MTN partnership reveals that AI-powered infrastructure could become the backbone of Africa’s digital economy, helping operators manage complex networks while expanding internet access.

If this new partnership is successful, it could set the stage for a new era of autonomous telecom networks in Africa.

Based on publicly available information, there are 209 global 5G commercial network as of March 2022 with Huawei as the vendor selected by 96 of them.

This month, Nigeria will become the first in West Africa to launch the fifth generation technology (5G) network and third in Africa after South Africa and Kenya.

Two companies – Mafab Communications and MTN Nigeria – have been licensed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to launch the network this August. However, MTN Nigeria is leading the race.

MTN is working with Huawei to bring 5G to Nigeria as demonstrated during 5G Day hosted by Huawei in partnership with MTN and Pan-Atlantic University as part of programmes lined up for MTN MIP 2022.

This is a combination of two major forces – Thirteen (13) countries are supported by Huawei for 5G roll out. Huawei is the number one in the global carrier IP space with 31% market share; controls 35% of 5G core infrastructure and is in charge of 33% of global broadband access.

MTN launched operations in Nigeria in 2001 and presently controls over 50% of the market share. As at June 2022, MTN Nigeria has 79,052,391 subscribers representing 38.36% of the market share. During the period, the telecoms business segment of MTN accounts for 63,820,107 out of 150,742,833 internet subscribers in Nigeria.

Expected benefits of 5G

Mr. Karl Toriola MTN Nigeria CEO once said: “5G is the future of network technology and offers incredible possibilities for new and enhanced services for our customers”. He nailed it!

Well, permit me to further explain the benefits by relating one sad incident in Lagos to how 5G could become a life-saver for us:

About five months ago, Lagosians were saddened over the death of 22-year-old Bamise Ayanwole who had boarded a bus on Saturday, 26th February 2022 and was allegedly kidnapped and killed by a BRT driver, Andrew Nice (male).

Probably, the 5G network would have saved her life. How? Okay, during a demo session at the MTN-Huawei 5G Day in Lagos recently, with 5G Smart Bus things will be different.

With 5G New Radio (NR) that delivers significantly faster and more responsive mobile broadband experiences; 5G Core which ensures ultra-reliable connectivity and low latency performance, connected to the cloud, taking feeds to the surveillance center, then, government can make informed decisions and empower security officers for prompt response to distress calls on BRT buses.

In essence, real-time connectivity to the security monitoring system attached to a BRT bus offers a sundry opportunity to detect abnormal driving and triggers warnings and keeps records for reviews. With that in place, a BRT driver would be more cautious of his/her environment and will not behave in the manner Andrew Nice did.

5G brings ubiquitous connectivity.

Low-latency, accessible-anywhere 5G can connect 100 times more devices per square kilometer than 4G.

It can move data at up to 100x higher speeds.

So 5G will be the motor of digital transformation. It is already powering the creation of tomorrow’s big industries: autonomous transport, virtual reality gaming, remote surgery, and more.

Analysts expect the commercial impact of 5G to be huge. GSMA predicts that 5G will add $2.2 trillion to the world economy by 2034.

See, 5G is one technology that extends mobile technology to connect and redefine a multitude of new industries.  Yes, you read that right.

5G Launch in Nigeria: The Timeline

In August 2019, NCC approved dedicated spectrum for trial deployment of 5G services in the country. TechEconomy later gathered that NCC approved 100meg spectrum in Calabar and 20 meg spectrum in Lagos.

November 2019:

Moves towards 5G deployment in Nigeria can be traced back to November 2019 when the country became the first in West Africa to conduct 5G technology testing, powered by MTN; working with its partners, namely, Huawei (Abuja), ZTE (Calabar) and Ericsson (Lagos), to provide a glimpse into a range of 5G use cases and applications at test Labs designed to show proof-of-concept in these locations.

December 2019:

Professor Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, rejigged the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) which plays a critical role in the spectrum allocation process.

“The NFMC was established by the Communications Act of 2003, which empowers the body to coordinate and regulate spectrum license allocations, across regional and international borders. In his maiden address to council members, the Chairman disclosed that under his leadership, national interest must supersede sectoral or personal interests, emphasizing that the protection of the consumer is paramount, while providing an enabling environment for industry players to thrive, within the dictates of the law”, Pantami said.

NCC also moved to ‘Develop guidelines for Collocation and Infrastructure Sharing (“C/IS”)’ as part of the 5G networks roll out plan.

May 2021:

NFMC commenced work towards commercial 5G roll out in Nigeria, but COVID-19 came and slowed the pace of engagements and activities.

The conspiracy theorists compounded issues around 5G. Some claimed it was the major cause of COVID-19 Pandemic.  This has since been faulted by industry stakeholders including international bodies like the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

So, in May 2021, Nigeria’s quest for the deployment received a major boost as the Nigerian Communications Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited to leverage C-Band Spectrum for 5G services.

November 2021

ALSO READ: Analysts Explain NCC’s Choice of C-Band Spectrum for 5G Rollout

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the telecommunication regulator – NCC – commenced the process for 5G Spectrum licensing. NCC hosted a stakeholders’ forum when the price was pegged at N75bn for 3.5GHz Spectrum. This was rejected by industry players.

December 2021

Barely a month after the stakeholders’ forum, NCC said it was set for auctioning of the spectrum after a successful mock exercise.

Companies submitted their bids. MTN, Mafab and Airtel were declared as qualified bidders for the 3.5Ghz spectrum auction.

Eventually, Airtel gave up during the bidding process. So, on December 13, 2021, after 11 rounds of bidding that lasted eight hours, Mafab Communications Ltd and MTN Nigeria Plc, emerged the two successful winners of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of 5G technology to support the delivery of ubiquitous broadband services in Nigeria.

ALSO READ: Eight Things You May not know About NCC’s 3.5Ghz Spectrum Auction

January 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday January 27 2022 unveiled the National Policy on Fifth Generation (5G) Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.

The Policy was presented and approved at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on the 8th of September 2021, following a robust debate.

The approval of the Policy, Buhari said, is in line with the commitment of this administration to supporting the digital economy as an enabler for the diversification of our national economy.

The President said the journey started with the launch of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) in November 2019 and have also launched a number of policies to strengthen the country’s digital economy, including the Nigerian National Broadband Plan and the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector.

February 2022

Two major things happened in February 2022. First, the National Frequency Management Council officially released 5G Spectrum to NCC for onward ‘transmission’ to the licensees.

Secondly, NCC confirmed receipt of payment by the 5G licensees in Nigeria.

April 2022

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) issued the final letters of award of the Spectrum Licences to MTN and Mafab Communications.

Management of the Commission led by Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), confirmed this to the Board of Commissioners at the Board’s Special Meeting, which took place on Wednesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 21, 2022, where the Board considered updates from Management on the status of the spectrum auction.

June 2022

Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) granted approval to Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC’s) to clear part of the C-Band Spectrum for the purpose of 5G deployment.

The Next phase

The official launch. Yes, this month, August 2022 Nigeria will witness the official launch of 5G. MTN Nigeria has demonstrated its commitment and capacity towards bringing the plans to fruition.

How prepared is MTN?

MTN has a first mover advantage. Remember the group launched commercial 5G services in South Africa in June 2020. One could argue that South Africa differs from Nigeria in terms of business environment and regulatory instruments however 5G technology remains the same. In fact, Mobile Network Providers (MNOs) buy their equipment from the global vendors such as Huawei, Ericsson, Nokia or ZTE.  

Financially, MTN has a war chest. About a year ago the group announced plans to invest US$1.5 billion over the next three years to expand broadband access across the continent’s most populous country.

This is in line with MTN Group’s strategy; Ambition 2025: Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.

TechEconomy’s findings show that MTN Nigeria will launch services in at least 200 5G cell towers before the end of 2022. It is a massive investment when you consider that it costs between $150 million to $300 million to construct a telecom base station.

MTN has also made huge investments in the West Africa Cable System (WACS) which connects many other African countries to Europe. The undersea cable project is quite critical to 5G launch in Nigeria.

End-user devices: As part of MTN Nigeria 5G strategies it introduced Device financing scheme. MTN is working with Intelligra, the pioneer operator-led device financing solution in Sub-Sahara to ensure consumers can have 5G enabled smartphones to enjoy the new connectivity.

On the other hand, MTN has the backing of Huawei to deliver on 5G roll out. Ashwani Mishra, Director ICT Strategy and Marketing Huawei Nigeria Office, said that Huawei was credited as the first company worldwide to launch the industry-first 5G commercial chip with the Balong 5G01 and 5G commercial CPE compliant with 3GPP Release 15.

He said that Huawei, as the only vendor who can provide end-to-end commercial solutions, vigorously promoting the maturity and commercial use of the 5G industry chain, the company is ready to replicate such feats in Nigeria.  

Challenges:

Apart from the perennial challenges facing MNOs in Nigeria such as Right of Way (RoW), multiple taxation, lack of protection for critical national infrastructure, multiple regulations (there are five to six agencies regulating communications in Nigeria), unfriendly business environment, etc., government needs to quickly address the free-fall of naira and scarcity of forex. MTN and others rely on importation of every equipment used to deploy services in the country.

Incentives for investors 5G is not just faster 4G – it’s an entirely new type of network.

Currently, most 5G ‘non-standalone’ deployments are built on existing 4G infrastructures. However, to unlock 5G’s full potential the industry is building a new type of network.

This ‘standalone’ 5G Core will be ‘cloud-native’. Its foundational technologies (Network Function Virtualization and Software Defined Networking) will turn many physical network components into the software. We are talking about millions of dollars investment. Is Nigeria prepared to provide incentives as motivation for operators deploying 5G?

5G will connect machines…but: According to Ericsson, there will be more than 22 billion connected IoT devices by 2024. This is a huge opportunity for telcos. But it’s not straightforward. Connecting cars and water meters is very different from connecting smartphones.

The majority of IoT devices are low-cost, small, limited in processing power, and battery-driven. They might be located in harsh environments and expected to run for decades.   

Cyber threats: 5G will ramp up threats to cybersecurity and data privacy. Historically, the mobile industry has done a good job of deterring cyberattacks. But the confluence of the factors mentioned above – virtual 5G Core, private network slicing, IoT connections – will bring new threats.

5G is the first cellular generation to launch in the era of global cybercrime perpetrated by organized syndicates and even nation-states.

Conclusion,

In the words of Karl Toriola “The benefits of 5G are multi-faceted, and they hold the key to unlocking new avenues for the nation’s growth and development. It is far more than high-speed internet or faster-streaming speeds; 5G has implications for improved service delivery across every sector. It has the potential to transform our nation’s economy and make a difference in the daily lives of every Nigerian”.

The future is coming!

5G networks – if correctly taken up and rolled out – will offer African businesses and individuals the critical infrastructure to fully participate in the global workforce.

So says Ruan du Preez, Vendor Alliance Director: SA and SADC at Exclusive Networks, who notes: “Fifth-generation wireless (5G) is the latest iteration of cellular technology, engineered to greatly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. With 5G, data transmitted over wireless broadband connections can travel at speeds that exceed wireline network speeds and offer extremely low latency, which is useful for applications that require real-time feedback.”

Ray Hagen, Global Senior Product Line Manager at ProLabs, further details that “a young and growing population” positions Africa with tremendous upside for 5G deployments.

ProLabs, a leader in optical networking infrastructure, is distributed throughout Sub-Saharan Africa by Exclusive Networks Africa and is dedicated to building 5G supportive fibre infrastructure throughout the globe.

Issues to consider around 5G rollout in Africa

Africa’s earliest adopters of 5G are facing teething problems that stand to delay their 5G goals. Business news outlet QuartzAfrica comments: ‘The challenges have revolved around spectrum regulation clarity, commercial viability, deployment deadlines, low citizen purchasing power of 5G enabled smartphones, and expensive internet.’ 

While funding and 5G regulatory matters continue to remain obstacles towards mass adoption, progress is being made towards full deployment of the new standard.

“Even with the rollout of 5G networks in its infancy stages in Africa, we hope to see the six operators that were granted 5G licences in South Africa earlier this year – namely Vodacom, MTN, Rain, Telkom, Cell C and Liquid Telecom – working towards unlocking its advantageous elements for the benefit of individuals, business, and the economy overall,” comments du Preez.

Hagen adds: “Applications and business cases for 5G have not taken hold to truly incentivise mobile carriers to offer more than wireless broadband services. CIOs must communicate their vision with partners in the mobile carrier space to ensure the 5G infrastructure is deployed when and where it is needed. Private 5G networks must plan around where workloads must take place.”

“5G is nowhere near reaching ubiquity in Africa or even most of the world. The regulatory environment governing 5G spectrum will continue to be a hindrance to 5G deployments across the region.”

Nonetheless, even with the need to overcome several hurdles ahead of it, 5G will offer African businesses and labour the critical infrastructure required to fully participate in the global workforce. When public 5G services are initially deployed, consumers and businesses should be able to experience landline like broadband data rates over the mobile network, bringing significant benefits.
“Digital transformation initiatives will be accelerated by 5G networks,” says Hagen.

“Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband services are expensive and take time to install, whereas 5G services only require fibre to be deployed to a radio site – and this radio site may even be co-located with access to existing fibre.” The economics of deploying high speed data services to more users, faster, is central to 5G’s value proposition and a key factor in combating regulatory red tape.

Beyond wireless broadband services, 5G promises to be an enabler of new applications, capable of driving productivity gains by connecting embedded sensors for massive machine-to-machine communication and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments.

“Access to 5G networks will open up work and learning possibilities to individuals at home across Africa, and help to ensure that business in the region can compete with the rest of world to bring products to market,” concludes  Du Preez.

Reports emerged few days ago that international airlines are cancelling scheduled flights to most cities in the Unites States over fear of 5G network interference on aviation signals around most US cities.

The flight cancellations were based on perceived fears that 5G deployment in some cities in the US would cause serious disruption to aviation signals around the airports.

In this chat with ThisDay, Adebayo said it was strange to read that international airlines were cancelling flight to some cities in the US, because of perceived fears that 5G network would cause obstruction to aviation signals.

According to Chairman of ALTON, “There are no known reports that 5G could cause obstruction to aviation signals. Nigeria is about to deploy 5G network and there should be no fears about perceived 5G network disruption to aviation signals in Nigeria. All these are part of the conspiracy theories originating from those campaigning against 5G deployments.”

Adebayo further said: “It will be really strange for British Airways and Emirates to cancel scheduled flights to some cities in America because of fear of disruption of aviation signals coming from 5G network. It will be nice to know the reaction of the Office of Communications (OFCOM), the body that regulates broadcasting and telecommunications in the United Kingdom (UK), since 5G network had since been deplored in the UK, without complaints of interference to aviation signals.

“There are lots of conspiracy theories about 5G network deployment, but unfortunately, there are no proofs to these conspiracy theories.”

According to him, “if British Airways said it was cancelling flights to US for fear of 5G network interference, I will certainly like to know what OFCOM, the telecoms regulator in the UK, where British Airways operate, would say about it.

“In the UK, there are 5G network deployment and there had been no complain of 5G interference on aviation signals in the UK. So why will the case in US be different, if not for the unfounded conspiracy theories around 5G network deployment?”

He explained that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had carried out trial test on 5G network rollout in some cities in Nigeria, before coming to the conclusion of the planned deployment of 5G in Nigeria this year.

After the trial test, NCC told telecoms operators that 5G was good for rollout in Nigeria because there were no observed case of interruption to aviation signals, during the trial test, Adebayo said.

Reacting to the planned cancellation of flights to US by Emirates and the British Airways, Adebayo said he would like to know what kind of interference the airlines were talking about, and at what distance does such interference occur, and what band of signal does the 5G network affect. Is it with data communication, voice communication or their navigation system? Adebayo questioned.

Adebayo, the ALTON chair explained that the C-Band frequency which aviation industry uses has very wide frequency, with many layers of spectrum.

He said even though both the telecoms operators and the aviation industry use C-Band for their operations, it would not create interference because of the distance, since the band ranges between four and eight GigaHertz (4-8GHz), which he said, were distant apart.

The Chairman of ALTON added that apart from the distance in the spectrum, there were also firewalls to protect different applications within the spectrum.

“Again, before operators can deploy any equipment on 5G, there is quality assurance test that they must carry out on the equipment to ensure there will be no interference of any kind,” Adebayo said.

Telecoms experts had earlier raised the alarm that the aviation industry and the aircraft manufacturers, including the military, were jostling for the control of 5G networks for their operations, insinuating that they would not want 5G networks to be used for communications by telecoms operators, which corroborates Adebayo’s views about the ongoing conspiracy theories on global 5G deployment.