Mafab Communications, a Nigerian telco that secured a 5G licence in 2021, will begin operations by the end of Q1 2025, the company’s chief operating officer Adebayo Onigbanjo told TechCabal. This will mark the first time Mafab’s services will be commercially available, nearly three years after the company entered the 5G market.
Mafab will launch its 5G services with 102 operational sites in Kano and Abuja and subscribers will need to buy routers to connect to the network. The company is also collaborating with multiple vendors to build out these sites in phases.
Mafab Communications secured its 5G license on the same day as MTN. However, while MTN launched its 5G services just eight months later, Mafab—a newer company—faced delays in deploying its network due to a lack of telecom infrastructure. Compounding the delays, Mafab did not receive its Unified Access Service License (UASL) and numbering plan until July 2022. As a result, the company applied for an extension from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), pushing its rollout deadline to January 2023.
After its January 2023 launch event, the company began advertising the sale of 5G routers on its website, but buyers could not activate the service, TechCabal found. The sale of the routers has since been suspended as the company works to complete its infrastructure buildout.
Although the 5G market is still early in Nigeria, the delays leave Mafab playing catch up with competitors like MTN and Airtel, especially in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub where most of the subscribers are currently located. Mafab is still working on its Lagos sites but has not yet announced when services will go live there.
“As with many telecoms operators, foreign exchange (FX) fluctuations have been a major challenge, leading to increased rollout costs compared to the initial projections,” COO Adedayo Onigbanjo said.
Nigeria’s 5G market has been growing since its commercial rollout in August 2022, led by MTN Nigeria. In October 2024, 5G accounted for 2.33% of the country’s internet subscribers, with MTN Nigeria commanding 79% market share and Airtel Africa holding around 20%. Mafab’s planned Q1 rollout is expected to drive further adoption, especially in cities outside Lagos and Abuja. The company has focused on strengthening its infrastructure and expanding coverage in Kano and Abuja to support broader 5G access, according to Onigbanjo. This includes building out a Radio Access Network (RAN), transport systems, and intelligent networks to connect user devices —such as smartphones and IoT gadgets—to its core telecom network.
