NCC has confirmed that the Federal Government has okay the use of 5G network in Nigeria. According to the report, the Minister of Comunication and Digital Economy Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence immediate implementation of the 5G plan for the country.

The report also went to say that the roll out of the 5G network will be carried out in phases beginning with major cities in the country “where there is need for high quality broadband,” the Honourable Minister has said.

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So, which network providers will be in charge of 5G network in Nigeria come 2022? Which cities will it likely be deployed first? Which 5G smartphones are we to expect by 2022? This article will explain all you need to know.

MTN and Mafab to provide 5G network in 2022

MTN and Mafab are the two telecomm companies that won the auction for the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology Nigeria. According to a report on NCC website, the bidding goes as far as 11 rounds with MTN and Mafab edging Airtel to win the two slot available.

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This means that, come 2022 both Mafab and MTN will be providing 5G network services to Nigerians across the country. So, if other service providers wish to offer 5G services to their customers, they might have to partner or get licenses from MTN or Mafab.

Which cities will see 5G network deployment first?

Truth is, it depends on what Mafab and MTN have in mind. But, our best guess is Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Calabar will be among the first cities to taste 5G connectivity. Grabbing the Lagos market is key to getting more customers as it’s the commercial center of the country.

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So, both Mafab and MTN might have their eyes in Lagos. Abuja is the Federal Capital territory and it’s only fair it also get the 5G network. Not that it brings so much in terms of market and population and I’ll even rate Port Harcourt ahead of Abuja if you need people who’d use 5G in the country.

Starting 2022, we might get to see 5G deployed in various cities in the country. Villages and Towns will be the last to get 5G (even most villages’ still lacks stable 4G LTE network).

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5G Smartphones in Nigeria in 2022

There will be lots of 5G smartphones in the Nigeria by 2022. Both Infinix and Tecno are the two prominent phone makers in the country and both companies are working on 5G smartphones.

Tecno is working on bringing the Tecno Pova 5G while Infinix is working on releasing the Infinix Zero 5G. Granted, Xiaomi has launched its first 5G smartphone in the country but it was useless as there is not 5G available in Nigeria.

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So, the timing of Infinix and Tecno just fits well with the deployment of 5G network in the country. Aside from these phone companies, Realme also made its way to the country recently and Samsung is also a major player in the country.

Point is, by 2022 there will be lots of 5G smartphones in the country once MTN and Mafab starts the deployment of the 5G network in the country. The era of faster internet connectivity and next gen network starts next year in Nigeria.