The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has revealed that 5G coverage in Africa remains the lowest in the world at 6% as of December 2023.
The global telecom body disclosed this in its Mobile Network Coverage Facts and Figures 2023 report. In the report showing that the continent is lagging in deploying the latest technology, the ITU noted that while the older generation of networks, 2G and 3G are being shut down in many countries of the world, countries in Africa still have most of their population on the old technologies.
The ITU data may not be far from the reality considering that In Nigeria where three telecom companies have launched commercial 5G, coverage of the technology remains abysmally low at 0.83% as of August this year.
According to the data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), 60.3% of subscribers in the country were still on 2G as of August 2023.
Uneven development
While noting that 5G coverage has increased steadily over the last four years to reach 40% of the world population, ITU noted that the development has been uneven as developed countries have more coverage.
“Since commercial deployment began in 2019, 5G coverage has increased to reach 40% of the world population in 2023. Distribution, however, remains very uneven. While 89% of the population in high-income countries is covered by a 5G network, coverage remains limited in low-income countries.
“Europe boasts the most extensive 5G coverage, with 68% of the population covered, followed by the Americas region (59%) and the Asia-Pacific region (42%). Coverage reaches 12% of the population in the Arab States region and less than 10% in the CIS region (8%) and Africa region (6%),” ITU stated in the report.
2G, 3G being switched off
The telecom body noted that in many countries older-generation mobile networks such as 2G and 3G are being switched off in favour of new-generation networks, 4G and 5G. It added that 5G enables the development of a digital ecosystem by connecting machines, objects, and devices with ultra-low latency and the potential to improve energy efficiency.
Specifically, most European operators are said to have announced plans to switch off 3G networks by December 2025, and likewise operators in the Asia-Pacific region.
“However, in some countries, the path is less clear, mainly because 2G and 3G networks retain a significant presence. This is the case notably in lower-income countries, where both technologies remain an important means of communication. In these countries, the main obstacles to 5G deployment and adoption include high infrastructure costs, device affordability, and regulatory barriers,” ITU stated.
The device constraint in Nigeria
In Nigeria, telecom operators have no plans of shutting down 2G and 3G as most of their subscribers are still finding 4G and 5G devices unaffordable.
This has seen operators continuing to invest in the old technologies despite the launch of 5G. Chief Technical Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mohammed Rufai, also pointed out the fact that many Nigerians are still on 2G and 3G.
“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 who 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.
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,” he said.
