Mafab to Rollout 5G Services in Q1 2025

As per TechCabal, the company which secured a 5G licence alongside MTN Nigeria Plc in December 2021, will start rolling out its services by the end of March 2025.

Mafab will launch its 5G services with 102 operational sites in Kano and Abuja and subscribers will need to buy routers to connect to the network, according to the company’s chief operating officer, Mr Adebayo Onigbanjo.

This will mark the first time Mafab’s services will be commercially available, nearly three years after the company entered the 5G market alongside MTN.

It obtained the licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for $273.6 million but delayed its rollout, while its competitor, MTN, started in August 2022 in a few cities.

According to the company’s executive, Mafab’s operations were impacted by the Nigerian operational environment, particularly foreign exchange challenges.

“As with many telecoms operators, foreign exchange (FX) fluctuations have been a major challenge, leading to increased rollout costs compared to the initial projections,” Mr Onigbanjo told Tech Cabal.

Business Post reports that  Mafab in January 2023 held a ceremony at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, to commence operations in the country, promising to deepen broadband penetration.

“We are fully committed to bringing the benefits of 5G services to Nigerians and deploying a network that will drive economic development with increased broadband capabilities nationwide.

“I have no doubt that the service will help deliver improvements in the fields of education, business, smart cities and entertainment,” the Chairman of Mafab, Mr Mushabu Bashir, said at the 2023 event.

While Mafab has continued to delay its operations, more established telcos like MTN and Airtel have continued to dominate the 5G market. MTN currently holds almost 80 per cent of the market share, while Airtel has the remaining 20 per cent.