Despite the growing number of Nigerians buying 5G-ready smartphones, the country’s network rollout is failing to keep pace, leaving tens of thousands of devices unable to connect. Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shows that over 57,000 5G-capable devices in Lagos and Abuja remain offline, highlighting a significant gap between expectations and reality.
Lagos alone has 41,057 unconnected devices, while Abuja has 16,143. The NCC’s Network Performance and 5G Opportunity Analysis revealed that Lagos faces a 70.9 per cent coverage gap and Abuja 65.6 per cent, underscoring the scale of unmet demand in Nigeria’s largest cities.
The problem is not a lack of interest. Users are ready, but network expansion has lagged. Since 2021, when the government issued nationwide 5G licences, operators were expected to progressively roll out the service in urban centres and meet international quality standards. Licence conditions included phased coverage milestones, speed and latency targets, and minimum spectrum usage to ensure effective service.
More than three years into the rollout, the NCC reports that many operators have failed to meet these obligations. Some provide almost no 5G service in major districts, while others deliver poor performance where coverage exists. Analysts say this reflects weak competition and inconsistent regulatory enforcement, leaving operators with little incentive to invest in infrastructure.
The shortfall directly limits Nigerians’ access to high-speed, low-latency services, affecting sectors like finance, healthcare, education, and smart-city development. Beyond Lagos and Abuja, network performance is uneven nationwide, with internet speeds in underserved areas up to 50 per cent slower than in major cities, deepening digital inequality.
Despite these challenges, the situation presents an economic opportunity. With thousands of 5G-ready devices unused, accelerating network deployment could spur innovation, create new services, and boost Nigeria’s competitiveness in the digital economy. Experts argue that bridging the gap requires stricter enforcement of licence milestones, closer monitoring of spectrum use, and penalties for delays.
“The challenge is no longer user readiness, it is network readiness,” the NCC concluded, urging operators to translate licence obligations into tangible service delivery, or risk leaving millions of Nigerians behind in the digital age.
