Announced at its first media roundtable of 2026, the updates reflect sustained investments made over the past 12 to 24 months and signal an accelerated push to stay ahead of surging data demand in a rapidly digitising economy.

Speaking to senior editors and industry correspondents, Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria chief executive officer, said the company’s strategy is anchored on deliberate scale, depth and resilience.

“Over the last two years, we have invested with discipline and clarity to strengthen our network nationwide. Those investments are now translating into measurable improvements in performance, customer experience and reach, including in underserved and hard to reach communities,” he said. “In 2026, we are accelerating these upgrades because Nigeria’s data appetite is growing, and leadership in this industry will belong to those who plan ahead.”

At the core of Airtel Nigeria’s quality of service drive is the rapid expansion of its network footprint. Since December 2023, the company has increased the number of network sites by 15.5%, adding 2,242 new sites and bringing its total to nearly 16,711 nationwide.

Further deployments are planned in 2026 to strengthen coverage, capacity and resilience across urban and rural locations.

Network capacity upgrades have also reached significant scale. In 2025, Airtel completed capacity enhancements on 30% of its sites, covering over 5032 sites nationwide. Today, 99% of Airtel Nigeria’s sites deliver high-speed 4G mobile broadband, establishing the operator as a full nationwide 4G network.

This year, capacity upgrades are being extended to more sites to sustain performance as data usage continues to rise.

According to Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon, the chief technology officer, spectrum depth and optimisation remain critical to network quality.

“We have increased our 4G spectrum by 10MHz and we are actively optimising our holdings. These actions allow us to support higher data throughput, better speeds and more consistent service, especially in high-traffic areas,” he said.

Airtel Nigeria is also accelerating its 5G rollout. Over the last three months, the company has more than doubled the number of active 5G sites.

The accelerated 5G upgrade happening now will connect the top 20 Nigerian cities to high-speed 5G networks, with a significant part of Airtel’s network in these cities becoming 5G-enabled in the coming year.

Beyond terrestrial infrastructure, Airtel is extending connectivity through space-based solutions.

The company has established and signed partnerships with satellite providers OneWeb and Starlink, enabling enterprise-grade connectivity for businesses in remote locations, hard to reach areas and operational outposts.

Recently, Airtel announced Nigeria’s first Direct-to-Cell partnership with Starlink, a breakthrough that will allow customers to remain connected while travelling through deep remote areas and enable small rural communities to access Airtel’s digital and fintech services.

The backbone supporting these services continues to expand. Airtel Nigeria has built an extensive fibre footprint across almost all states, developed through years of sustained deployment.

Following the announcement to double capital expenditure last year, the company committed to expanding its fibre network by 25%, and intensive rollout activity is ongoing across cities and states.

Airtel has also confirmed plans to extend its fibre footprint even further, both within major cities and between states.

A pivotal national milestone is also on the horizon. Nigeria currently relies on a single internet submarine cable landing and breakout point in Lagos.

Airtel Nigeria has announced that it will launch a second internet breakout from the South of Nigeria, leveraging the 2Africa submarine cable.

In partnership with 2Africa, Airtel will shortly begin carrying internet breakout traffic from Kwa Ibo in Akwa Ibom State.

“This will create a faster and alternative path for large parts of the North and South, improve resilience for the entire ecosystem. Airtel is proud to take the lead in making this happen,” Balsingh said.

Underpinning these advances is a robust IT and cloud backbone. Airtel Nigeria operates an enterprise-grade private cloud with thousands of virtual machines, managing massive storage and compute power across locations.

The infrastructure includes large GPU clusters, supporting AI-driven applications such as fraud detection, intelligent network self-healing and advanced customer analytics.

The company recently announced the upcoming launch of its hyperscaler-ready 38 megawatt data centre in Eko Atlantic. This is designed for Nigeria’s next phase of digital growth, powered by AI.

From a customer access perspective, Airtel Nigeria maintains one of the largest retail footprints in the country.

Its products and services are available in over 200,000 outlets nationwide, supported by more than 4,000 exclusive shops across all local government areas and 250 flagship stores.

Balsing added that,

“Quality of service today is about resilience, redundancy and intelligence, and that is what Airtel is delivering. From fibre to cloud to satellite-enabled connectivity, we are building a platform that allows Nigerian businesses to scale with confidence, regardless of location.”

He reaffirmed Airtel Nigeria’s long-term commitment to the country.

“Our focus is consistent investment, disciplined execution and deep confidence in Nigeria’s future,” he said.

Aside from Singh Dhillon, other members of the Airtel Nigeria leadership on hand with subject matter expertise at the roundtable included Director, Airtel Business, Ogo Ofomata; Director, Marketing, Ismail Adeshina; Director, Information Technology, Kemi Ariyo; and Director, Corporate Communications and CSR, Femi Adeniran.

The post Airtel Accelerates 5G Rollout, Expands to Top 20 Nigerian Cities appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The SmartConnect router, offered at an entry cost of ₦25,000, comes with a SIM card, free installation, and a complimentary 30-day unlimited data bundle at speeds up to 50 Mbps. Customers can thereafter subscribe to flexible plans: ₦25,000 monthly for unlimited 50 Mbps or ₦45,000 monthly for unlimited 100 Mbps.

With the ODU design, the router is mounted outdoors to capture stronger and more stable signals, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity even in dense urban and peri-urban areas. The device also includes features such as nationwide usability with access to Airtel’s 5G where available and seamless fallback to 4G LTE; multi-user capability, supporting up to 64 simultaneous device connections; built-in power backup lasting up to five to six hours during electricity outages; as well as parental and usage controls for managing browsing access.

“Our mission has always been to democratise access to technology,” said Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria. “With SmartConnect, we are removing the barriers of cost and complexity. Every household, and every small business deserves to be connected without compromise.”

Ismail Adeshina, Marketing Director, Airtel Nigeria, added: “SmartConnect was designed with the Nigerian reality in mind. Families, entrepreneurs, and students need reliability and confidence that their router will keep them online even in the face of power cuts or network fluctuations. This product delivers exactly that.”

The SmartConnect router can be purchased at Airtel showrooms nationwide, through the company’s official e-shop (eshop.airtel.com.ng), via Home Broadband Sales Executives, or through Direct Sales Executives. Subscriptions and bundle renewals can be managed through the Airtel Africa App, the company’s broadband portal (airtel.com.ng/hbb), USSD code *312#, or QR code. Nigeria’s broadband penetration currently stands at around 43% (NCC, 2025), with fixed-line access limited in many regions. Airtel’s SmartConnect 5G ODU router provides a scalable and affordable solution that addresses this gap, aligning with the government’s national broadband and digital economy goals.

The post BROADBAND: Airtel Nigeria Launches SmartConnect 5G ODU Router appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The partnership is in line with Airtel’s commitment to enhance innovation, improve customer experience, and drive the adoption of 5G technology to transform various aspects of customers’ daily activities.

According to the Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Femi Oshinlaja, the strategic partnership is not only to increase access to the latest technological advancements  but also to encourage consumers to take advantage of the vast potential of 5G connectivity.

“Our partnership with leading 5G device manufacturers like Samsung, Tecno, and Infinix is a testament to Airtel’s commitment to providing our customers with access to the latest technological advancements. We believe that through this partnership, consumers will not only gain awareness about the potential of 5G but also access devices that enable them to fully embrace the benefits of this transformative technology,” he said.

A notable highlight of this partnership is the exclusive data package provided for users of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. For just 2000 naira, customers can enjoy a generous 10GB of data, allowing them to explore the vast potential of 5G connectivity.

Airtel’s partnership with smartphone manufacturers has also enabled the introduction of the lowest-priced 5G device in Nigeria such as the Samsung A14 5G, Samsung’s flagship fold and flip 5, Infinix Hot 30 5G, Tecno Camon 201 and Tecno Spark 101.

The post Airtel Partners Samsung, Tecno, Infinix to Drive 5G Adoption appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The telco’s fierce battle for more market share and the deployment of advanced technology became intense since it secured 5G license from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Run-up to that, in March Airtel announced the milestone of upgrading its entire footprint of cell sites to 4G.

The operator said its 50 million+ customers in the country can now tap into flawless voice call experiences, as all 2G and 3G sites have been upgraded to the advanced network standard.

Surendran Chemmenkotil, (now former) Chief Executive and Managing Director, said that the operator ‘is committed to delivering mobile broadband to the whole country including remote locations as connectivity has a direct correlation with boosting the nation’s GDP”.

“Our commitment is to our customers and we are focused on ensuring that they continue to get the right and best experience on our network. This exercise is inspired by the fact that we want to serve our customers better and we also want to contribute significantly to deepening broadband expansion in Nigeria as this has a direct correlation to GDP and economic productivity of a country, ” Chemmenkotil said.

Findings:

A team at Enext Wireless, an engineering company that focuses on improving user experience in Mobile Broadband Wireless Communications, carried out survey on the ‘Airtel upgraded 3G cell sites to 4G LTE’, and came up with report:

“Our survey of Airtel service from Lagos to Ekiti shows many sites with 3G coverage but no 4G LTE coverage”, Remi Adeyeye, the President of Enext Wireless Inc. said.

“In other words, Airtel does not offer LTE service on all of its 3G cell sites”, he claimed.

The report also counters Airtel’s claim of offering VoLTE nationwide:

“Voice calls from our VoLTE-enabled UEs in Lagos and Ibadan are assigned to CSFB, not VoLTE. In other words, Airtel does not offer VoLTE nationwide in Nigeria”.

On June 17 2023, TechEconomy reported that Airtel Nigeria’s readiness to launch 5G Network and on Monday June 19, 2023, Airtel organized its media launch of the service with mouth-watering offers to the consumers.

Femi Oshinlaja, Chief Commercial Officer at Airtel Nigeria, said 5G services will be available in four major cities of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos, Ogun and Rivers States, adding that services would be extended to other parts of the country subsequently.

Shockingly, the researchers at Enext Wireless revealed that Airtel has been assigning their 5G UEs (user equipment) to 5G in some areas in Lagos since May 19, 2023.

“In other words, Airtel has already ‘launched’ 5G network, since we have not changed our SIMs or specifically requested 5G service from Airtel”.

So, why is this a problem?

“5G network should not have been offered to the public before it is launched”, the report said adding reasons ‘”Airtel’s announcement of June 19th 5G launch is a farce”.

“Airtel has been assigning our 5G-capable UEs to 5G since May 19, 2023. This suggests that

“Airtel was assigning us to a network we did not know existed, that had not been ‘launched’.

Airtel could simply have barred our 5G UEs from accessing its 5G network until that network was ready to be launched.

“Why collect money from us for a network that was not ready (launched)?

Why this could be debated as a test-phase before the launch, it was not clear if the telco notified its customers about the 5G launch as at May 19, which was exactly a month before the official media launch.

The post Airtel 5G Launch: Enext Wireless Raises Searing Questions appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The Airtel 5G network will initially go live in three countries starting in Nigeria and followed by Tanzania and Zambia, with plans underway to rollout in the rest of the markets.

With 5G, customers can now enjoy immersive real-time gaming, streaming live content among other uses on the ultra-fast, ultra-reliable network for home internet.

The greater and seamless connectivity will also power businesses, particularly those that run on web-based applications as well as facilitate virtual meetings.

Segun Ogunsanya, Airtel Africa’s Group CEO, said:

“With the 5G network, we are offering our customers an opportunity to live the future and experience its possibilities. This is in line with our purpose to transform lives. By investing in cutting-edge digital connectivity to unlock a broad range of opportunities, we are facilitating a digitally connected world for our customers and giving them a reason to imagine”.

The 5G network will be concentrated in specific zones, such as highly populated residential areas and amenities such as malls, hospitals, and city centers and central business districts.

In these specific 5G zones which will be designated and marked, customers can enjoy up to ten times faster internet, streaming vivid-quality videos uninterrupted.

The 5G network can only be connected through compatible devices.

The post Airtel Africa Begins 5G Roll out in Three Countries appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This was announced alongside Airtel’s partnership with Samsung to provide some of the most affordable 5G devices in the country.

With the launch of 5G, Airtel will be offering this cutting-edge technology, which promises to revolutionize the way Nigerians stay connected.

The Airtel 5G network is expected to offer faster download and upload speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity, providing Airtel customers with a seamless and enhanced digital experience.

Commenting on the launch, Carl Cruz, Airtel Nigeria CEO, said,

“5G is a completely new experience that supercharges cloud computing, telemedicine, self-driving cars, cloud gaming, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR & VR), Internet of Things (IoT), Smart homes, and so much more. While we may think that 4G is a remarkable improvement on our internet experiences, 5G completely opens a new vista where anything and everything is possible. Right now, with 5G, we can only be limited by the limits of our imagination.”

Cruz also described a link between the 5G launch and the company’s current marketing campaign, ‘A Reason to Imagine‘.

If you go by our recently-launched brand theme – A Reason to Imagine – you will notice that it fits perfectly with this paradigm shift. With 5G, it is more achievable to empower creatives and entrepreneurs in tech, medicine, fashion, retail, communications, and media to bring executive more adventurous ideas. 5G ushers in a new era of collaboration that breaks boundaries and presents a new wave of economic benefits for this generation and the next, and we cannot wait to see how young people all over the country explore this new world of instant and unbroken connections to unleash a revolution in creativity,”

Airtel Nigeria CEO said.

Also speaking at the event, Chief Commercial Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Oshinlaja, said, “5G is simple and not meant to be out of reach, which is why Airtel has come to democratize 5G, so that Nigerians can get the most affordable 5G routers. We are also glad to have partnered with Samsung to deliver the most affordable 5G mobile phone for 122,000 naira only.”

According to Airtel, the Airtel 5G network is available in key cities across Nigeria, and Airtel will continue to expand its coverage to other parts of the country in the coming months.”

Airtel has been at the forefront of providing innovative solutions to its customers in Nigeria since its inception.

The launch of 5G is another milestone in telecom industry in Nigeria, as it will drive economic growth and innovation while providing faster and more reliable connectivity to Nigerians.

The post Airtel Nigeria Launches 5G; Partners Samsung on N122,000 Galaxy A14 5G Smartphone for Lastmile Delivery appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This is coming few months after Airtel Africa invested $500m on additional spectrum in five African Countries.

According to Airtel Africa plc Results for the year ended 31 March 2023, the group acquired spectrum in Nigeria, the DRC, Tanzania, Zambia and Kenya in the year under review.

Also, earlier today, we told you that the telecommunications and Information Services sector in Nigeria has, in the first quarter 2023, delivered a handsome N2.508 trillion in terms of financial value contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), representing 14.13 per cent.

Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the sector recorded a 4.3 per cent increase from its performance in the last quarter of 2022 when it recorded 13.55 per cent.

When compared on a year-on-year basis, the growth showed a positive progression from 12.94 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, to the 2023 figure of 14.13, which is an approximate growth of 9.19 per cent.

The percentage of telecom contribution to GDP was calculated from 46 distinct sectors of the economy, which constitute telecom and information services baskets.

One of the key highlights of the telecom industry performance within the period was the generation of $820.8 million for the federal government from 5G spectrum licences fees paid by three eventual winning operators, MTN, MAFAB and Airtel.

Following the issuance of the licences in December 2021 to MTN and MAFAB, both companies have launched 5G services. Airtel, which received its licence in December 2022, is set to launch services this month, June 2023.

Now, ‘Airtel 5G is almost ready for you, are you ready for it? . Click the link in bio to see if you’re already in the 5G zone’, the network tweeted on Friday evening.

The post BREAKING: Airtel Set to Launch 5G in Nigeria appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

That’s impressive result, right? One of the key highlights of the telecom industry performance was the generation of $820.8 million for the federal government from 5G spectrum licences fees paid by three eventual winning operators, MTN, MAFAB and Airtel.

So, this week, Enext Wireless Inc., an engineering company that focuses on improving user experience in Mobile Broadband Wireless Communications, carried out a study of MTN 5G in Lagos as they searched for possible areas Airtel has started deploying its 5G in the State with estimated 24 million population.

Comparison of 5G from MTN with 5G from Airtel in Lagos by Enext Wireless

Below, Enext Wireless team selected throughput.

The three selections available are;

• Uplink,
• Downlink and
• Ping.

For throughput,

• Excellent is higher than 10 Mbps
• Good is between 5 Mbps and 10 Mbps
• Fair is from 1 Mbps to 5 Mbps
• Usable is from 0.100 Mbps to 1 Mbps
• Poor is lower than .100 Mbps

The team covered the same route and used the same device type for both networks.

The snapshots show the different points where the devices were assigned 5G resources.

Please visit here to decide which is better. To see the actual value for a bin, click on the bin. You will also see the date the data was collected.

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