Nigerian Gov’t Grants Mafab Communications 5-month Extension To Roll Out 5G Network

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has extended Mafab Communications’ 5G rollout timeframe, as the company announces it will miss the August 2022 deadline.

Recall that the NCC had given MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications nine months to rollout their 5G network after both companies won the 5G spectrum licence in December 2021.

Mafab Communications, MTN Nigeria and Airtel Africa had bid for the 5G 3.5gigahertz (GHz) spectrum in an auction that lasted for 11 rounds, with Airtel later dropping out.

MTN and Mafab Communications were winners, and paid $273.6 million each for the 5G technology in Nigeria, which the market regulator had scheduled for rollout on August 24, 2022.

While MTN has not updated the market regarding its rollout plan, Mafab Communications, in a statement on Sunday, reported that it requested for an extension, and has been given five months extra.

The company said it experienced a setback in its rollout plan as a result of receiving the Unified Operational License (USAL) and numbering plan late in July.

Mafab Communications Chairman, Musbahu Bashir, assured his company will deploy 5G as expected of his firm, “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.” The statement disclosed.