NCC Admits Ambitious One-Year 5G Nationwide Rollout Unlikely to Be Achieved

Lagos, Nigeria – August 16, 2025 — The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has conceded that its licensees may have set overambitious goals when promising full nationwide 5G coverage within just one year of launch.Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, issued the admission during a media interaction in Lagos, citing significant economic hurdles that have complicated the sector’s progress. Chief among these obstacles is limited access to foreign exchange, which has hampered the importation of essential telecom equipment — a critical component in rolling out 5G infrastructure .Despite the commercial launch of 5G services in 2022, Nigeria currently operates fewer than 2,000 5G sites nationwide. With an estimated 171.2 million active telephone subscribers in the country, only around 5.2 million—roughly 3.07 percent—are subscribing to 5G services three years on .Dr. Maida’s acknowledgment underscores the financial, logistical, and technical constraints slowing the pace of 5G adoption, painting a realistic picture of the challenges faced by Nigeria’s telecom industry.