MTN Nigeria has officially completed its ₦600 billion (approximately $400 million) payment for 200MHz of 5G spectrum in the 3.5GHz band, clearing the final hurdle to launch ultra-fast, next-generation mobile services across Nigeria’s major urban centers by Q2 2026. The payment, confirmed in a regulatory filing to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on November 7, 2025, fulfills the telecom giant’s long-standing obligation from the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) 2021 spectrum auction—a process delayed for years due to foreign exchange liquidity constraints and macroeconomic volatility.
With this acquisition, MTN now holds the largest contiguous 5G spectrum block in West Africa, enabling theoretical download speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps)—over 10 times faster than current 4G networks. This capacity will support transformative applications far beyond consumer streaming, including remote telemedicine, precision agriculture via IoT sensors, real-time financial transactions, smart city infrastructure, and immersive education through AR/VR platforms.
According to MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola, the company will begin rolling out 5G in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Ibadan in the first half of 2026, with nationwide coverage targeted by 2028. “This isn’t just about faster phones,” Toriola stated. “It’s about building the digital rails for Nigeria’s next economy—where a farmer in Kaduna can access AI crop advice, and a doctor in Enugu can perform remote diagnostics.”
The NCC confirmed that Airtel Nigeria is finalizing its own ₦336 billion ($225 million) payment for 100MHz of spectrum and is expected to complete the transaction by November 15, 2025. Together, the two operators will drive Nigeria’s 5G ecosystem, which the NCC projects will contribute over ₦20 trillion ($13 billion) to GDP by 2030 and create 3 million digital jobs.
Critically, the 3.5GHz band is globally recognized as the “sweet spot” for 5G—balancing coverage and capacity. MTN’s 200MHz holding allows for carrier aggregation, significantly boosting network efficiency and user experience even in dense urban environments.
The move also signals growing investor confidence in Nigeria’s telecom sector despite macroeconomic headwinds. MTN funded the payment through a combination of offshore reserves and local debt instruments, demonstrating adaptability in a constrained forex market.
Analysts at BudgIT Foundation note that 5G’s real value lies in industry enablement. “When 5G meets agritech, fintech, and healthtech, you get exponential innovation,” said tech policy lead Adebayo Shittu. “This spectrum is the soil—now we need the seeds of local innovation to grow.”
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