CEO Sundar Pichai outlined the company’s plans during its latest earnings call, revealing that the year will be a big scale up in how users interact with Search.

According to Pichai, Google is working towards expanding the range of questions people can ask, making Search more intuitive and capable of handling complex queries. “As AI continues to expand the universe of queries that people can ask, 2025 is going to be one of the biggest years for search innovation yet,” he stated.

An interesting part of this evolution involves incorporating features developed by Google’s research division, DeepMind.

The visualises a time where Search functions more like an interactive assistant rather than a tool that simply provides a list of website links. Users will be able to receive direct answers to detailed questions, reducing the need to visit multiple web pages.

Google’s focus on a more dynamic Search experience began after the emergence of competing technologies, particularly OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which challenged the traditional search model.

Since then, Google has been speeding up its efforts to enhance how information is delivered. However, this transition has made businesses and content creators who depend on Search traffic and advertising revenue quite concerned.

One of the most anticipated advancements is Project Astra, a system capable of analysing live video and responding to user inquiries in real-time. Pichai described it as a glimpse into the future, saying, “You can imagine the future with Project Astra.” Google aims to extend this technology to other products, including smart glasses powered by an in-house operating system.

Again, Google is developing Gemini Deep Research, an advanced tool designed to generate in-depth reports. This system could drastically change how people gather information, as it automates tasks traditionally performed through manual searches.

“You are really dramatically expanding the types of use cases for which Search can work – things which don’t always get answered instantaneously, but can take some time to answer,” Pichai explained.

Another project, Project Mariner, will simplify web navigation by interacting with websites on behalf of users. This could reduce the need for people to visit sites directly, further transforming the way Search operates. Pichai also hinted at a more interactive Search interface, allowing users to ask follow-up questions seamlessly.

“I think the [Search] product will evolve even more,” he said. “As you make it more easy for people to interact and ask follow-up questions, etc., I think we have an opportunity to drive further growth.”

Even with Google’s enthusiasm, previous attempts at implementing technology-driven Search features have been criticised. The rollout of AI-generated overviews resulted in several inaccuracies, with bizarre recommendations such as advising users to eat rocks and apply glue to pizza.

While the company acknowledged these shortcomings, it remains focused on enhancing Search through further experimentation.

nPerf Score sighed by TECHECONOMY correspondent takes into account the measured speeds, the latency and the QoE tests (streaming and browsing).

“For this analysis of Internet connections in Nigeria 41,335 tests carried out by Nigerians with the free nPerf Speed Test app, available on Android and iOS, have been taken into account”, the researchers said.

MTN: The market leader

In its comprehensive analysis spanning from January 1st to December 31st, 2023, MTN (14 Mb/s) has been identified as providing the fastest mobile download speeds in Nigeria.

Download speed: Indicates the amount of data your connection can receive in one second from the nPerf server. The highest the measured value, the best is the speed of your connection.

Good Speed: Speeds ranging from 10 Mb/s to 25 Mb/s are sufficient for HD streaming, video chats, and cloud uploads.

International Comparison: Nigeria’s average mobile download speed (11 Mb/s) has surpassed the one in countries such as Guinea Bissau (10 Mb/s), Cameroon (8 Mb/s) or Guinea Conakry (6 Mb/s) in 2023.

The latency describes how responsive your connection is. Lower latency translates to more immediate interaction with content. Latency is measured in milliseconds (ms).

Fair Latency: Above 101 ms, users may experience challenges with real-time online interactions.

Streaming test: MTN (72%) provided the best streaming mobile video experience in Nigeria.

The goal of the streaming test is to measure the quality of video viewing on the most popular streaming platform around the world: YouTube. Good Streaming: Scores between 50% and 75% are adequate for YouTube streaming.

The nPerf test evaluates YouTube streaming quality by conducting assessments at three different resolutions: 360p (Standard Definition), 720p (High Definition), and 1080p (Full High Definition).

The overall rating is derived from an average of these three tests, ensuring a comprehensive measure of streaming performance across varying levels of video quality.

Browsing test: MTN (39%, equivalent to an average page load time of 6.1 seconds) emerged as the leading provider for web browsing in the country.

Airtel: The major competitor

Airtel has offered robust download speeds of 11 Mb/s and upload speeds of 4 Mb/s.

Its latency stands at 133 ms, and the network performs well in web browsing and YouTube streaming, with success rates of 36% and 70% respectively.

Airtel’s strong performance indicators demonstrate its commitment to providing reliable and fast Internet services.

Glo: The potential network

Glo has download speeds of 5 Mb/s and upload speeds of 2 Mb/s. It has a latency of 138 ms, which is competitive in the market.

“However, Glo’s web browsing and YouTube streaming rates of 28% and 61%, respectively, indicate areas for improvement”, the report indicates.

Glo remains a crucial player in the Nigerian telecommunications market, with growth potential and improved service delivery.

However, the report maintained silence on 9mobile.

Conclusion

In Nigeria, MTN and Airtel lead the telecommunications sector, showing strong performance across the board. Glo, although lagging behind, play an important role in providing vital telecommunications services to the Nigerian population.

For these operators, continued investments in network infrastructure, technology upgrades and customer-centric services will be key to improving their market position. Competition not only drives improvement in telecommunications services but also fosters innovation, leading to better connectivity and digital services for consumers in Nigeria.

What you should know about nPerf Study

• This study, conducted by nPerf, a French company with over a decade of experience in measuring Internet connections, is based on user-generated data from the nPerf mobile app.
• The app, available on  iOS and Android, utilizes a global network of dedicated servers to accurately measure Internet connection speeds.
• The nPerf study is based on thousands of tests carried out exclusively by the operators’ end-customers, making it one of the largest “crowdsourced” studies in the country.
• These tests reflect the real experience of the general public in Nigeria on the various Internet networks.
• You can also take a look at the 3G/4G/5G mobile coverage maps in Nigeria, made thanks to the measurements of Nigerian users of the nPerf app, here