With close to 150 million subscribers and a penetration rate of 107 percent, Nigeria has Africa's largest mobile market. This has created an extraordinary demand for bandwidth, which is straining existing infrastructures to the limit, resulting in network congestion and poor quality of services. Telecom regulators are addressing the issues by imposing fines and sanctions to improve their infrastructure, which has resulted in operators making sizeable investments in Nigeria. After making such an investment, Bharti Airtel announced it is rolling out 4G in the country, which will give customers in Nigeria access to next generation communications services.
The 4G rollout comes after Airtel became the first operator in Nigeria to successfully hold 4G trials in 2012, which was carried out along with a strategic partnership with ZTE (News - Alert) and the expertise the Chinese multinational company provides in telecommunications equipment/systems, mobile Internet hardware and related solutions.
The launch in 2017 of the 4G network is part of Nigeria's initiative to have the latest mobile technology infrastructure and services. The open environment the country has established is responsible for one of the most populated markets of mobile vendors in the world, with at least 15 operators offering services, including Bharti Airtel, MTN (News - Alert) Nigeria, Glo Mobile, Etisalat Nigeria, Vodacom and others.
As reported by the Guardian, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Airtel (News - Alert) Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said, “This is a new dawn for mobile Internet in Nigeria. Airtel and ZTE’s collaboration to roll out 4G service pan Nigeria will dramatically improve mobile Internet experience for telecoms consumers across the country.”
When it is fully operational, Airtel will use its 4G LTE (News - Alert) network to provide next generation communications services for consumers and businesses. Customers will have access to faster speed, reliable mobile broadband Internet to connect their mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets and laptops as well as Internet of Things (IoT) deployments and other connected technologies.
The Airtel 4G LTE is going to give Nigerians next generation communications services. This includes
access to rich multimedia applications such as movies, HD videos, e-learning, HD content and more. It will provide multiple downloads of large files, faster uplink and downlink speeds, seamless online streaming with zero buffering, access to business applications that require higher speeds and last mile connectivity, face-2-face video chat and more.
For Bharti Airtel (News - Alert), Nigeria represents one of the most lucrative markets in Africa. The company has presence across 20 countries across Asia and Africa, which is headquartered in New Delhi, India. Airtel is now the third largest mobile service provider in terms of subscription, which is fast approaching the 400 million mark.
Edited by
Alicia Young
