About four years after the launch of the fifth generation (5G) technology in Nigeria, it has remained not only elitist but also an elusive technology.
After trials by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), 5G was officially launched in Nigeria in August/September 2022, with MTN Nigeria leading the rollout on August 24, 2022, in cities such as Lagos and Abuja. Mafab Communications launched in early 2023, and Airtel followed in June 2023.
The Federal Government generated over $820 million from the auction of 5G licences as of early 2023. Major payments came from MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications, which paid $273.6 million for 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum licenses in 2022, followed by Airtel Networks Ltd, which paid $316.7 million for a similar spectrum.
Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, has restated its commitment to transparent, data-driven regulation and the continuous improvement of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
According to the November stats released by the NCC and Ookla, about the market share of technologies in the country’s telecom market, 5G, with all its hypes and super-promises, remained at the bottom of the ladder of adoption.
The stats began from second generation (2G), 3G, 4G and ultimately 5G.
While 38.29 per cent of the market is still on 2G; 3G accounts for 6.13 per cent; while 4G‘s 51.99 per cent market share makes it the most popular next only to 2G. 5G with its super latency and other promises accounts for just 3.60 per cent of the market share.
The latest report conducted by the NCC entitled: Network Performance & 5G Reality Report, National Coverage Gaps & Infrastructure Trends, Advanced Analytics Services December 2025, show that the average 5G coverage gap in Lagos is 55.4 per cent. This means more than half the time, a 5G phone in Lagos cannot connect to 5G.
“The “Phantom” Signal: The average 5G coverage gap in Lagos is 55.4%. This means more than half the time, a 5G phone in Lagos cannot connect to 5G.
“Critical Zones: 499 areas in the city are flagged as “Critical” (Gap > 70per cent), mostly in high-density commercial zones,” the report noted.
Giving what was described as operator breakdown, it stated that MTN has ~50per cent gap; while Airtel has ~77per cent gap.
The report which focused on Lagos and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stated that Abuja records an average 5G gap of 47.4per cent which it said was slightly better than Lagos, but nearly half of potential connections still fail.
“Effective Coverage: Only 31 per cent of 5G-capabledevices in the capital are successfully connecting to 5G networks. Deployment Imbalance: MTN: ~49 per cent gap,” the report noted.
The report which touched on performance gap in urban states (Lagos, FCT, Rivers), noted that the states outperformed rural Northern states by approximately between 30per cent and 40per cent in download speeds and latency.
The report noted that rural performance averages are materially depressed by the continued reliance on 2G and 3G, which drag down national statistics and lamented that investment focus has seen recent network upgrades concentrated on high-density areas, with limited spillover to underserved regions.
On the road ahead for the industry “Optimize Urban 5G: Focus on existing sites in Lagos/Abuja to lower the 55 per cent gap. “Turning on” 5G isn’t enough; it must be usable for the 50per cent+ of users currently blocked; prioritize improvements: Targeted investment is critical in rural areas and states with vast rural communities to close the 40per cent regional performance divide.”
For Regulators, the report recommended the retirement of legacy tech by accelerating the phase-out of 2G/3G to free up spectrum for 4G/5G, which dictates modern user experience.
“Monitor Stability: Shift regulatory focus to latency and jitter, as stability is now a stronger predictor of user satisfaction than peak speed,” the report noted.
Speaking during the presentation of the report, Dr Maida said: “Today’s engagement reflects our commitment to transparent, data-driven regulation and the continuous improvement of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. Through our collaboration with Ookla, we are providing independent insights into real-world network performance and the lived experience of Nigerians across cities, rural communities, highways, and emerging 5G zones. It is in this context that we have released the Q4 2025 Network Performance Reports.
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“These reports enable us to track progress, identify gaps, and guide targeted regulatory interventions—ranging from spectrum optimisation and infrastructure upgrades to quality-of-service enforcement and the expansion of rural connectivity.
“The data shows clear and steady improvements in network quality, particularly in median download speeds across both urban and rural areas, especially when compared to Q3 performance. Notably, the video Quality of Experience gap between urban and rural areas has narrowed, and the strength of our 4G backbone continues to improve.
“The industry is not without challenges, as reflected in gaps in 5G services and inequalities in upload speeds highlighted in the reports. However, we are actively engaging with operators to address these issues, including gaps in mobile service coverage.”
He recalled that last year, over $1 billion in industry investment resulted in the deployment of more than 2,850 new sites to expand both coverage and capacity nationwide. Much of the progress reflected in today’s reports is a direct outcome of these investments, he said.
“We have secured commitments from operators to exceed their 2025 investment levels in 2026, with infrastructure investments continuing in earnest. We look forward to continued collaboration with industry stakeholders as we translate these insights into better connectivity, improved service quality, and a more inclusive digital future for all Nigerians,” Dr. Maida said.
