By Although Lagos leads with the average 5G coverage gap of 55.4%. more than half the time, a 5G phone in Lagos cannot connect to 5G network in the metropolitan city.
In fact, 499 areas in the city are flagged as “Critical” (Gap > 70%), mostly in high-density commercial zones like Victoria Island, Lekki, and their likes.
According to the Q4 Network Performance and 5G Reality Report released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Abuja, the Nigerian capital city records an average 5G gap of 47.4%, which slightly better than Lagos, but nearly half of potential connections still fail.
The city boasts of effective coverage of only 31% of 5G-capable devices in the capital are successfully connecting to 5G networks.
The report, which also evaluates the National Performance Landscape reveals MTN Nigeria leads nationally in throughput and latency stability, setting the standard for 5G rollout while Airtel maintains a balanced profile, trailing in real-time readiness (latency/jitter).
9Mobile now known as T2 demonstrates specific strengths in throughput but lacks the national consistency of the larger players leaving Glo to provide widespread access, trailing in stability.
The NCC’s report further indicated that urban states (Lagos, FCT, Rivers) outperform rural Northern states by approximately 30-40% in download speeds and latency while the rural performance averages are materially depressed by the continued reliance on 2G and 3G, which drag down national statistics.
According to the Commission, investment focus showed that recent network upgrades have concentrated on high-density areas, with limited spillover to underserved regions of the country.
Looking ahead, the regulator said in the report that turning on 5G isn’t enough; “it must be usable for the 50%+ of users currently blocked”, urging for targeted investment in rural areas and states with vast rural communities to close the 40% regional performance divide.
The NCC noted that it’s determination to accelerate the phase-out of 2G/3G to free up spectrum for 4G/5G, which dictates modern user experience.
It further assured of shifting regulatory focus to latency and jitter, as stability is now a stronger predictor of user satisfaction than peak speed.
Speaking at the unveiling of the the Q4 2025 Network Performance Reports, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida said that in 2025, over $1 billion in industry investment resulted in the deployment of more than 2,850 new sites to expand both coverage and capacity nationwide.
Maida told stakeholders that the Commission have secured commitments from operators to exceed their 2025 investment levels in 2026, with infrastructure investments continuing in earnest.
“The data shows clear and steady improvements in network quality, particularly in median download speeds across both urban and rural areas, especially when compared to Q3 performance.
“Notably, the video Quality of Experience gap between urban and rural areas has narrowed, and the strength of our 4G backbone continues to improve”, he said.
Maida however noted that the industry is not without challenges, as reflected in gaps in 5G services and inequalities in upload speeds highlighted in the reports, saying “ we are actively engaging with operators to address these issues, including gaps in mobile service coverage.”
In his welcome address, the Executive Commissioner Technical Services(ECTS) Engr Abraham Oshadami said: “the Commission continues to proactively share data and insights on industry performance, not only to support informed decision-making, but also to ensure that service providers remain accountable to consumers.”
He noted that the NCC commenced the publication of Quarterly Network Performance Reports to offer consistent, data-driven insights into how networks are performing across the country.
Earlier in her remarks, Head Public Affairs Nnenna Ukoha, said that Commission had in the past affirmed its commitment to accountability and transparency, and a data-driven approach in implementing its mandate.
“Part of this commitment is the drive to generate accurate, transparent, and timely data. Consequently, we have the responsibility to ensure that this data is properly understood, well‑interpreted, and correctly communicated to the Nigerian public. And in this effort, you, our media partners, are indispensable”, she stated.
Ukoha said that the quarterly performance reports provide rich material for daily news coverage, feature stories, data‑driven investigative reporting, background analysis for interviews, and sector monitoring dashboards used by your newsrooms.
