- Nairametrics spoke to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of MTN Nigeria, Mr Mohammed Rufai, about the telco’s 5G project.
- He said that MTN Nigeria has so far rolled out commercial 5G in 13 cities and over 700 sites, expanding its coverage.
- The company is investing in rural telephony to bridge the connectivity gap in underserved areas, having deployed over 2,000 sites in rural regions.
Amid infrastructure deficiency, Nigeria became the third African country to roll out commercial 5G last year through MTN Nigeria.
While many thought the country was not ready for the latest technology, MTN said the government’s policy on the harmonization of Right of Way (RoW) fees has been an elixir to actualize the country’s 5G goal as operators are now able to deploy fibre infrastructure at a faster and cheaper rate.
In this interview with Nairametrics, the Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr Mohammed Rufai, speaks on the company’s 5G journey, issues affecting the quality of service, and broadband penetration, among others.
Nairametrics: Since the beginning of the telecom revolution in Nigeria until now, there have always been complaints about the quality of services in Nigeria, both voice and data. Is there ever going to be a time when there will be perfect service?
Mohammed Rufai: Yes, there will be. We are investing continuously and we have dedicated teams; we have a large number of people in the field that are constantly optimizing and responding to operational issues. There are challenges, which are operational and environmental.
We do have cases of vandalism of our infrastructure, BTS, and in some cases, our optical fibre infrastructure. We have many cases of other disruptions. But we have our operational teams that are constantly in the field responding to these issues to improve the quality of service.
We also take feedback from our subscribers frequently and we address the areas of concern. So, this is a continuous process, we are continuously improving our quality of service. And we are continuously responding to customer complaints. And we’re continuously investing to ensure that subscribers have the best service.
We are also trying as much as possible to cope with the environmental challenges, as I’ve mentioned, issues of vandalism or the disruptions that we experience in the field. So, we are open to feedback at any time.
We also take feedback from all quarters, we have surveys that we do and we have statistics that we monitor, and we respond very quickly to any downtime or any failure to ensure that subscribers can use the service that we know they depend on for some of their key activities.
Nairametrics: Despite the expansion of telecom services over the years, there are still some blind spots, especially when you are travelling and you get to some areas that are not covered by telecom service. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently acknowledged that there are some unserved and underserved communities across the country. What is MTN Nigeria doing to bridge this gap?
Mohammed Rufai: So, we have a special programme called Rural Telephony. And that programme is in line with our belief that everyone deserves the benefit of a modern connected life.
We are deploying sites in rural areas to provide basic telephony services and broadband. We have deployed over 2000 rural base stations in Nigeria. And we are continuing to execute and deploy more and more sites in the rural areas. We have already covered about 92% of Nigeria’s population with 2G, and we have covered over 83% with 3G and 79% with 4G.
Some of these people are in the rural areas and they are covered by these rural telephony solutions we have deployed in the rural areas and this will continue going forward until everyone is covered.
Nairametrics: Right of Way is one major challenge that has continued to plague the telecom industry for years. What is the update on states’ compliance with the federal government’s harmonization policy?
Mohammed Rufai: I must commend the efforts of the Federal Government in harmonizing the right-of-way fees, which significantly reduced the cost of deployment and also enabled us to deploy in many locations.
As you have mentioned, some states have complied, and we also have all the federal roads available at the harmonized price. So, the RoW challenges are being addressed. There are still some challenges in some areas and some states, but largely, we are making progress.
We are deploying fibre extensively across the country. By the way, fibre is one of the key enablers of 5G technology. So, for very high 5G speeds, you do need to deploy fibre to the base stations. And there are some other alternative technologies, but the fibre is the most preferred, and we are deploying quite rapidly, enabled by this policy championed by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, to harmonize ROW.
So, we have made significant progress, and there is still work to be done and areas to comply with, but we have made progress, and fibre has been deployed.
Nairametrics: MTN Nigeria is the first telecom operator to roll out commercial 5G in Nigeria. What is the status of 5G in the country currently?
Mohammed Rufai: As you are aware, we participated in the auction of the 5G spectrum, and MTN Nigeria is one of the winners who got the 100 megahertz or 3.5 gigahertz spectrum.
Following the approval of the NCC, we have rolled out initially, starting with about seven cities, but now we are in 13 cities and over 700 sites in Nigeria. We had the launch event in Lagos, where we demonstrated the use cases. What 5G can be used for and what it can do, we have gone ahead and rolled out in several parts of the country, and that rollout is continuing.
Right now, we are in 13 cities (Lagos, FCT, Owerri, Ibadan, Maiduguri, Abeokuta, Shagamu, Ifo, Warri, Enugu, Benin City, Kano, Port Harcourt etc) and are still expanding. Nigerians are already enjoying the benefits of 5G.
Nairametrics: Some schools of thought believe that Nigeria is not ready for 5G given the poor infrastructure in the country. Do you think Nigeria is ready for 5G?
Mohammed Rufai: The first and most important thing to have when rolling out 5G is the spectrum, and we have the spectrum. We also have the preceding technology, which is 4G, and we have the sites and the fibre infrastructure that are required for connectivity.
So, with all that, we were ready to roll out 5G from a technology point of view. We also have the capacity, the core network, and the features to be able to deploy. We have the technical know-how and subscribers that have the devices to be able to use 5G. So, we were ready.
Nigeria was ready for 5G. We have all the things that we need. As with all of our technologies, we deploy them in phases. So, we start in a few cities, and then we expand, and subscribers will also adopt and get the devices over time and adopt the technology. So, I would say that Nigeria was ready at the time we launched the network and is progressing. We are going to be seeing more and more adoption going forward.
Nairametrics: With attention shifting to 5G, one would expect more investments in that area. But MTN Nigeria recently paid N58.7 billion to renew its 3G. Can you tell us why? Also, is MTN Nigeria planning to shut down 2G soon?
Mohammed Rufai: The fact that we are going to 5G does not mean we will not cater to the needs of subscribers that require the lower technology. As you are aware, devices have to be compatible with 5G for them to be used.
We have many subscribers in Nigeria that have 2G and 3G devices, and we will continue to cater to the needs of those subscribers. So, while we are investing in new technology, we must also maintain the other technologies that are needed by the people that use them and the people that don’t yet have the devices for the newer technologies.
So, this is the reason why we are still investing in and expanding on the old technologies, and also because the spectrum, the license allocated by NCC, and the network resources that are used for 3G can also be used on other technologies in the future, so the investment is still usable for the higher technologies when the devices are ready.
Again, all these technologies will still be available to those that need them. As I said, some subscribers still have 2G and 3G devices. Therefore, we will not rush into switching off those technologies while subscribers have those devices because they need the service. As I also mentioned earlier, what was renewed was the license for the 3G spectrum, and that spectrum can also be used on 4G and 5G in the future.
MTN Nigeria would always take into account what our subscribers need and what they are using and gradually move those resources to the best possible technology.
We will not leave anyone behind. While we encourage all subscribers to move to higher technology for the better experience and benefits of those higher technologies, we will always take into account the fact that some people will need the lower technologies.
There will be a time when the number of people using the newer technologies will reduce significantly, and at that time, we will consider the possibility of reducing investment in those specific networks. But, take note, I think the important thing is that both the spectrum and frequencies that are used for the lower technologies can easily be moved to the higher technologies.
So, all the technologies can coexist. Meaning that, when the demand for the technology reduces, those resources that we have invested in can be re-purposed or even used dynamically on demand for the higher technologies.
It is a very flexible and smart technology that does not necessarily pin down resources. They can be pooled or moved from higher to lower, and lower to higher technologies, depending on demand. And we will always be conscious of the need for and capability of the devices of our subscribers.
Nairametrics: What is your assessment of Nigeria’s broadband penetration compared to other markets where MTN has operations?
Mohammed Rufai: Compared to other markets we have been to, I wouldn’t say Nigeria is behind, and we have rolled out in large parts of Nigeria. We have over 90% population coverage on 2G technology. And we have over 83% population coverage on 3G.
Right now, we are covering over 79% of Nigeria with 4G, and each subscriber has their own needs. Some only need 3G; some subscribers will move to 4G. Even though there are significant benefits to moving to higher technology in terms of speed and latency, we try to cater to the needs of everyone. So, devices are one of the main factors in moving to higher technology, and we’re moving quickly.
I believe Nigeria is not behind, and we are moving into higher technologies that will provide a more efficient network over time. But there are a lot of engagements in terms of creating awareness about the benefits of higher technologies.
The government is also playing a key role in creating this awareness, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and the NCC, and there are many other players involved in improving device penetration so that people can get the benefits of this technology.
Nairametrics: How much has MTN Nigeria invested in expanding the 5G network in Nigeria?
Mohammed Rufai: The only thing I can say is that apart from the license fee that we have paid on the spectrum, we have also deployed over 700 sites in Nigeria. The actual commercials on those sites are not something I can disclose.
But we have invested and we are continuing to invest, and so far we have deployed over 700 sites and associated infrastructure across the country.
Nairametrics: As you mentioned earlier, 5G is currently being rolled out in major cities. When will the 5G network reach rural areas?
Mohammed Rufai: Network deployments are usually in phases, as we know from 2G, 3G and 4G. We started in big cities and will expand into other parts of the country. The same thing will be the case for 5G.
We have now started in big cities, as I have said, and we are now in 13 cities like Maiduguri, Owerri, Warri, the outskirts of Lagos Shagamu, Abeokuta, and all that. We intend to expand 5G across the country. We do have a special program called rural telephony.
We have already deployed over 2,000 sites in rural areas to ensure that everyone is connected. We do have a belief in MTN that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life.
Therefore, all these solutions and technologies will eventually get to those areas with time, and we have a special program for rural connectivity. Right now, we are at the 4G stage, and it will get to 5G eventually.
