The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has granted Mafab Communications Limited a five-month extension to launch 5G services nationwide due to its inability to meet the rollout commencement date of August 24, 2022.
The five-month extension was granted to Mafab due to delays in the company receiving its Unified Access Service License (USAL) and Numbering Plan which was not granted until the end of July.
Chairman, Mafab, Musbahu Bashir said, “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 goal remains to launch before the 5-month extension period, and we will be sharing more information in the near future”.
5G network is expected to provide Nigerians with higher internet speed and availability as well as increase the country’s broadband penetration and quality of services.
After 11 rounds of bidding in December 2021, Mafab and MTN Nigeria emerged as the two successful winners for the deployment of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum 5G technology in Nigeria and paid the sum of $273.6 million each for the 5G license.
As a result of this recent development, MTN Nigeria is expected to be the only telecommunication company to roll out 5G services based on the commencement date of August 24, 2022, set by the NCC.
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