Telecommunications company, Airtel Nigeria has announced plans to double its capital investment in the Nigerian market this year as it seeks to accelerate the deployment of 5G and expand its network coverage.
Based on the financial results for the year ended March 2025, just released by its parent company, Airtel Africa, the Nigeria operation’s capital expenditure for the year was $168 million (about N259 billion using the N1,542/$ exchange rate reported by the company).
This means that Airtel Nigeria will be spending over N500 billion on network expansion in the current year.
Investment targets
According to a statement released by the company, the new investment drive will cover a wide range of areas, including critical infrastructure upgrades, rural network expansion, advanced data solutions, customer experience enhancements, and community-focused initiatives.
Key components of the investment include:
- Accelerated 5G rollout: Airtel is fast-tracking the deployment of 5G technology across its network, bringing ultra-fast data speeds and low-latency connectivity to customers nationwide.
- Rural coverage expansion: The company is adding more sites in underserved and rural communities, bridging the digital divide and ensuring broader access to mobile services.
- High-capacity radios & fiber networks: Existing sites are being upgraded with high-capacity radios and extended fiber infrastructure to handle the surge in data demand.
- Data infrastructure: Airtel is equipping its data centers to leverage the 2Africa submarine cable landing stations, boosting international bandwidth capacity and data throughput.
- New state-of-the-art data center: A cutting-edge data center is under construction to enhance data management and meet the growing needs of users.
- Enhanced retail footprint: New service outlets and shops are being opened nationwide to improve customer accessibility and experience.
- Home broadband solutions: The company is rolling out innovative broadband devices and terminals to expand home internet access.
Commitment to Nigeria’s digital economy
Commenting on the plans, CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, said:
“Our decision to double our investment reflects our deep commitment to Nigeria’s future.
“As a company that views Nigeria as home, we are investing in transformative infrastructure that will deliver unmatched value to our customers and make connectivity an everyday reality for more Nigerians.”
“This is not just about technology; it’s about empowerment and making a positive difference in people’s lives,” he added.
- Balsingh said Airtel is also strengthening its customer-first approach through several recent innovations, including a new artificial intelligence-powered service that notifies users of suspicious SMS messages in real-time to protect them from scams.
- He added that the company has also upgraded its call centers and personalized mobile packages to give users more control and ease in managing their subscriptions.
- With this renewed investment, Airtel Nigeria expects to significantly boost the country’s digital infrastructure, create new jobs, foster entrepreneurship, and empower underserved communities.
- The company said it is positioning itself not just as a telecoms provider, but as a key player in Nigeria’s digital and economic transformation.
What you should know
Airtel Nigeria’s investment drive also aligns with the regulatory demand that all telecom service providers in the country improve their network capacity to deliver better quality of services.
This was one of the conditions set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to approve the recent 50% tariff increment, which the operators started implementing in February this year.
In that regard, MTN Nigeria also recently reported that it increased its investment in network capacity, spending N202.4 billion in the first three months of the year.
This represents a 159% increase in CAPEX for the company when compared with the N78.1 billion it spent in the same period of 2024.
