- Says Airtel Africa Tracking 5G Ecosystem Closely
Telecommunications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been commended for the transparent way it conducted the 5G auction completed on December 13, 2021. The Chief Executive Officer(CEO0 of Airtel Africa, Segun Ogunsanya handed the commendation to the regulator shortly after the conclusion of the spectrum auction.
The auction was for two lots of 100MHz in the 3.5GHz band which was won by MTN Nigeria Plc and Mafab Communications Limited at a price of US$273,600,000 each. MTN Nigeria, however, grabbed Lot 1 by offering to pay an extra US$15,900,000. Airtel Nigeria, one of the preferred bidders, lost out in the process.
Mr. Ogunsanya confirmed that the Nigerian subsidiary of the company pulled out of the auction after submitting its final bid of US$270m.
According to Ogunsanya, “The business case for 5G across all sub-Saharan markets is evolving, and we remain committed to driving broadband capacity in our various markets. We will continue to closely track the 5G ecosystem over the next several years, in particular the availability of affordable 5G devices and relevant use cases.
“Airtel Africa retains ample capacity, spread across various spectrum bands, in Nigeria and its other markets, to continue to meet the growing data demands of our customers for many years to come, with several potential routes available to the business to deliver even greater capacities, cost-effectively, in the long run”
Airtel Africa is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries in Africa, primarily in East Africa and Central and West Africa.
Airtel Africa offers an integrated suite of telecommunications solutions to its subscribers, including mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services both nationally and internationally.
The Group aims to continue providing a simple and intuitive customer experience through streamlined customer
journeys.
