The Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mohammed Rufai, has said the telecoms giant is not in a hurry to shut down its 2G and 3G network as it deploys its 5G network.
The CTO noted that with many Nigerians still unable to upgrade their devices to 4G or 5G, it would be difficult to end investments in 3G technology.
Rufai added that the 3G spectrum can also be converted to provide 4G and 5G service when 3G is shut down in the future.
“The fact that we are going to 5G does not mean we will not cater to the needs of subscribers that require the lower technology.
He revealed that 90 per cent of Nigeria’s population has 2G technology while over 83 per cent of the population has 3G coverage, and the 4G coverage has reached over 79 percent of Nigerians and it is still growing.
“Each subscriber has their own needs. Some only need 3G; some subscribers will move to 4G. Even though there are significant benefits to moving to higher technology in terms of speed and latency, we try to cater to the needs of everyone. So, devices are one of the main factors in moving to higher technology, and we’re moving quickly.
He said the company is making progress in the 5G service expansion, saying that it has so far deployed the service in 6 more cities after the initial 7 at the launch in September last year. This brings the total number of cities with 5G networks to 13.
“So, right now, we are in 13 cities (Lagos, FCT, Owerri, Ibadan, Maiduguri, Abeokuta, Shagamu, Ifo, Warri, Enugu, Benin City, Kano, Port Harcourt etc) and are still expanding. Nigerians are already enjoying the benefits of 5G,” he said.
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