“Over 70% Nigeria Covered By 3G/4G” — Telcos Fault Senate Claims On Network Gaps, Defend E-Transmission

The telcos, including MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and 9mobile, have dismissed the excuses as half-truths.

They challenged the Senate to obtain accurate information from the telecom regulator, the NCC, rather than dishing out information that would not hold water in today’s telecom development.

Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators in Nigeria (ALTON), the umbrella body of the telcos, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, told Vanguard that any information about telecom infrastructure and country coverage not emanating from the NCC could not be relied upon.

His words: “Upon which survey or statistics is the Senate coming up with its position of inadequate telecom infrastructure? As we speak today, over 70% of the country is covered with 3G and 4G, while 5G has about 11% coverage and the rest is 2G.

“Even in reality, 2G is strong enough to transmit results electronically. I do not know where the Senate is getting its information, but we can’t take that blanket ban on electronic transmission based on a half-truth about our infrastructure and investments.

“We agree that there are maybe just about two states that, due to insurgency, our members cannot risk going to maintain facilities. But that is what all stakeholders can sit together and decide how to cover those places. It’s not enough to say the country is not ready for electronic transmission.”

Adebayo’s position aligns with that of INEC, which in 2022 dismissed the fears, saying that where there were network challenges, results uploaded to iREV would transmit once the machines were within areas with network coverage.

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