Telecommunications giant Airtel Nigeria has announced plans to more than double its capital investment in Nigeria this year, setting the stage for an aggressive 5G rollout and sweeping network expansion across the country.
The development, disclosed in the financial statement of its parent company Airtel Africa for the fiscal year ending March 2025, shows that the Nigerian unit spent $168 million (approximately N259 billion) on capital expenditure during the reporting period. But for the new fiscal year, the company has committed to spending over N500 billion, based on current exchange rates.
This comes amid mounting pressure from Nigeria’s telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), for operators to upgrade infrastructure in line with the quality-of-service expectations tied to recent tariff adjustments. Airtel’s move is a direct response to this regulatory demand and signals its intent to deepen its footprint in the Nigerian market, despite macroeconomic headwinds and currency volatility.
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Broad Investment Scope
According to a statement from the company, the investment will focus on critical infrastructure across various segments of its operations:
Accelerated 5G Deployment: Airtel plans to fast-track 5G rollout across major urban and semi-urban areas. This would provide ultra-fast internet speeds and improved latency for users, positioning the telco competitively against early mover MTN Nigeria, which began 5G deployment last year.
Rural Network Expansion: The company says it is scaling its reach into underserved and rural communities, with new base stations and mobile infrastructure aimed at bridging Nigeria’s digital divide.
Fiber and Data Infrastructure: Airtel is also investing heavily in high-capacity radios and fiber-optic expansion to meet growing data demand. It intends to tap into the recently landed 2Africa submarine cable to boost international bandwidth and enhance data throughput.
New Data Center: A modern, state-of-the-art data center is under construction to enhance data management capacity and support the company’s growing consumer and enterprise needs.
Customer-Centric Innovations: Airtel has introduced AI-powered services designed to detect scam SMS messages in real time, upgraded its call centers, and is offering personalized mobile packages to give users more flexibility in managing their plans.
The investment also covers the expansion of its retail footprint nationwide and the rollout of new home broadband solutions to address increasing demand for reliable internet access in households.
Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, described the multibillion-naira investment as a vote of confidence in Nigeria’s digital economy.
“Our decision to double our investment reflects our deep commitment to Nigeria’s future,” Balsingh said. “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.”
He added that the initiative is not just about deploying advanced technology but about “empowerment and making a positive difference in people’s lives.”
Beyond technological infrastructure, Airtel says its plan will also help create thousands of jobs, enable small businesses, and extend digital access to excluded populations — reinforcing its ambition to act as more than just a telecom operator, but a key enabler of Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Airtel’s commitment comes just months after the NCC approved a 50% tariff increase for telecom operators, following years of stagnant pricing and rising operational costs. The approval was granted with the condition that operators significantly upgrade their infrastructure and improve service quality.
In line with this, MTN Nigeria, Airtel’s biggest competitor, also recently disclosed that it spent N202.4 billion on network investment in the first quarter of 2025 — a 159% surge compared to N78.1 billion in Q1 2024.
The competitive spending signals a broader push within the sector to meet regulatory benchmarks and consumer expectations amid increased data consumption and chronic network congestion in Nigeria.
While Airtel’s latest announcement suggests growing confidence in Nigeria’s telecom market, questions remain about the long-term sustainability of such capital-heavy strategies, particularly in a high-inflation, low-consumption environment.
However, with 5G adoption slowly gaining traction and millions of Nigerians yet to be connected to fast internet, Airtel’s massive reinvestment, which will play a huge role in shaping the future of Nigeria’s connectivity market, is expected to boost its revenue.