By Martin Ekpeke
A recent Nigeria Network Performance & 5G Opportunity Analysis report by Advanced Analytics Services has indicated critical failures to meet 5G demand in Nigeria’s two largest markets of Lagos and Abuja.
The report conducted by Ookla in partnership with the Nigerian Communications Commission reveals a substantial disparity between the number of 5G-capable devices and actual 5G network access, highlighting a major deployment opportunity that operators are currently missing. This gap poses a significant challenge to the nation’s digital agenda.
The analysis pinpoints significant coverage deficits in Nigeria’s two commercial and administrative hubs:
- The average 5G coverage gap in Lagos is 70.9%.
- The average 5G coverage gap in Abuja is 65.6%.
The report further specifies the number of devices ready for the new technology but unable to connect to a 5G network: 41,057 5G-capable devices in Lagos and 16,143 in Abuja are currently affected. The existence of this gap, measured by detecting 5G-capable devices not connecting to any 5G network, underscores the urgent need to accelerate 5G rollout in these high-demand urban areas.
Beyond the 5G deployment issues, the report highlights a broader problem of persistent performance gaps in network quality, particularly between urban centers and rural regions.
- Top Performing Regions: The FCT (Abuja) and Lagos lead the nation, with network performance that is 40-50% better than the national average.
- The Urban-Rural Divide: Data shows speeds in underserved, rural areas are up to 50% lower than in urban centers. While urban areas benefit from strong 4G and emerging 5G coverage, rural areas remain reliant on 2 G and 3G, resulting in a degraded experience that hinders digital inclusion.
Path Forward
The report concludes with a clear path forward, emphasizing the importance of driving modernization and equitable access. Key opportunities for sector advancement include:
- Accelerating 5G Deployment: Urgently addressing the significant coverage gap in high-demand urban areas like Lagos and Abuja.
- Closing the Digital Divide: Expanding 4G/5G coverage into underserved rural regions to ensure equitable access and performance for all Nigerians.
- Enhancing Stability: Focusing investment on improving latency and reducing jitter across all networks to ensure a high-quality experience for real-time applications.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is committed to driving sector improvement by enforcing fair competition and pushing for network modernization, reinforcing that the adoption of newer technologies offers a significant boost to network performance.