Nigeria has ranked 105th globally and 9th in Africa on the Opensignal Global Network Excellence Index, which evaluates mobile network performance based on 4G/5G availability, consistent quality, and download speeds. While South Korea leads globally, Nigeria faces challenges in achieving high-quality mobile connectivity, particularly in rural areas. South Africa, Tunisia, and Kenya are ahead of Nigeria in Africa, which reflects the country’s modest ranking. Nigeria’s mobile market, while characterized by strong 4G adoption, still lags in 5G penetration, though regulatory and operator investments are driving gradual improvements.
In terms of 4G/5G availability, Nigeria’s reliance on 4G networks meant that users in 2023 spent most of their time on these networks, with 5G access limited to urban centers like Lagos and Abuja. However, progress was made in 2024 as 5G deployments expanded, especially in rural areas. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) contributed to this improvement through regulatory efforts, including the promotion of spectrum auctions and infrastructure-sharing models to boost 5G coverage.
For Excellent Consistent Quality (ECQ), which assesses a network’s ability to support demanding applications like video streaming and gaming, Nigeria’s ranking was moderate in 2023, improving by 2024. Urban users experienced stable connections, while rural areas struggled with limited backhaul capacity and congestion. Despite increasing 5G adoption, Nigeria’s ECQ remained stable, reflecting successful efforts by operators to manage higher network loads.
Regarding download speeds, Nigeria’s 4G speeds were competitive within Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, but lagged behind global leaders. 5G download speeds, though initially low due to limited deployments, showed significant improvement in urban areas by 2024. Despite these advancements, challenges remain, particularly in rural areas, where network congestion and delayed shutdowns of legacy 2G/3G networks hinder progress. Moving forward, Nigeria must focus on rural connectivity and further 5G rollout to maintain its growth trajectory in mobile network performance.
Source: Technext