ONE of the largest network service providers in Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, has kick-started its Fifth-Generation (5G) network service in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, and Rivers State while promising to expand the service to other States of the federation.
According to media reports, the rollout of the service, which occurred on Monday, June 19, 2023, is coming six months after Airtel Nigeria won the 3.5 gigahertz spectrum to launch a 5G network in the country.
Airtel Nigeria joins MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications Ltd among telecommunications operators that have rolled out 5G Service in the country. According to Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) information Memorandum, 5G licensees are to roll out in at least 10 states within the first year of being issued a licence.
Speaking at the unveiling in Lagos, the Airtel Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Carl Cruz, said the 5G revolution is a quantum leap from 4G, stressing that though the latter (4G) is remarkable, 5G opens a new vista.
The Airtel boss stated that with 5G, there would be more collaboration among stakeholders in the telecoms space to do new things with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, the Internet of Things, and Smart Cities, among others.
Cruz appreciated the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), saying it enabled the country to join the first 60 countries to roll out the service.
In his words: “Airtel Nigeria is proud to be an early mover with 5G technology, not just in Africa but all over the world.
“Thanks to the commitment of the Nigerian government, 5G became a reality early in Nigeria when only about 60 countries had access worldwide. In addition to that, the frequency spectrum band allocated to 5G will make the experience worthwhile for consumers.
“Our goal as Airtel Nigeria, therefore, is to make 5G accessible and widespread in the country”.
Listing the features of the 5G, Cruz stated that it supports end-to-end video creation with the support of Artificial Intelligence. It supercharges cloud computing, telemedicine, self-driving cars, cloud gaming, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR & VR), the Internet of Things (IoT), Smart homes, and more.
Giving more insight into the Airtel plan, the Chief Commercial Officer, Femi Oshinlaja, said to ensure more Nigerians have access to the technology, the firm is offering the router for N30,000 and has partnered with Samsung to deliver the Galaxy A14 model at a very affordable price.
He said though 5G is positioned to consume more data because it enables more speed and latency, “the rate and prices of data will remain the same.”
Oshinlaja added that Airtel has partnered with Samsung for the device, while Huawei and ZTE are its technical partners.
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