Airtel Nigeria, the nation’s second-largest network operator, now lets subscribers see nearby 4G and 5G network sites, together with these present process upgrades and deliberate installations, by a brand new characteristic on the My Airtel Africa app.
The characteristic, known as Airtel Open Network, additionally permits prospects to report poor network experiences immediately to the telecom operator. Launched in Lagos on October 30, 2026, the platform shows network sites inside a 500-metre radius of a subscriber’s location. It makes use of visible indicators to distinguish energetic sites, these being upgraded, and areas the place new sites are deliberate.
Nigeria is the primary of Airtel Africa’s 14 working markets to introduce the characteristic. By combining network visibility with buyer suggestions, Airtel hopes to establish protection gaps and direct engineering consideration to areas the place subscribers expertise poor connectivity.
The transfer tackles a persistent downside in Nigeria’s telecoms market: network protection doesn’t at all times translate to dependable connectivity. Airtel hopes higher network visibility and direct buyer suggestions will assist establish protection gaps and enhance service high quality.
A Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) assessment reported by TechCabal discovered that 78% of main roads had cellular indicators, however solely about 42% provided secure, high-speed 4G or 5G connectivity. The report additionally recognized greater than 120 crucial black spots the place cellular indicators have been utterly unavailable.
Speaking on the launch, Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria’s CEO, stated the platform was designed to make network data extra accessible whereas giving prospects a direct channel to talk service issues.
Trust, he says, grows when prospects can see what is going on and know that their issues are being heard. “With Open Network, we are giving customers greater visibility into our network and a more direct way to tell us where their experience falls short,” Balsingh stated.
Airtel stated it could use suggestions submitted by the platform alongside its infrastructure investments to information network upgrades. This might assist its engineering groups establish areas requiring enhancements in protection, capability and reliability.
The initiative additionally provides subscribers a means to report localised issues that will not be obvious in broader network efficiency assessments.
In his remarks, NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, stated accessible network data might complement the regulator’s efforts to enhance service high quality.
“The Commission’s assessment of service quality will continue to be guided by evidence and the standards that apply across the industry,” Maida stated.
Maida desires operators to proceed enhancing their companies past minimal regulatory necessities, significantly by addressing persistent connectivity challenges.
However, seeing a nearby mast doesn’t assure dependable reception. Airtel acknowledged that indoor protection, constructing buildings, handset specs, and network congestion can have an effect on particular person subscribers’ expertise.
The NCC’s network quality assessment framework additionally considers elements equivalent to dropped calls, network congestion, availability and knowledge speeds, exhibiting why the variety of nearby sites alone can not decide service high quality.
Airtel stated Open Network wouldn’t mechanically resolve network issues however would make it simpler for patrons to perceive accessible infrastructure and report service gaps. The firm plans to roll out demonstrations and consumer guides throughout digital, retail, and conventional media channels within the coming weeks.
