The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has responded to misleading comments on social media that falsely allege that “MAFAB Communications,” a company granted a Fifth Generation (5G) license by the Commission, has not yet launched the service, despite having obtained the license almost two years ago and being past the roll-out date by one year.
Indeed, MAFAB Communications emerged as one of the two winning companies in the highly transparent 5G Auction organized by the Commission on December 13, 2021. After fulfilling the payment requirement of $273.6 million in February 2022, the company officially obtained the 5G license on February 22, 2022.
Following the issuance of the 5G license and adherence to the rollout requirements, MAFAB Communications conducted a public launch of its services in Abuja on January 24, 2023, and in Lagos on January 26, 2023. The initial phase of the services targeted six cities, namely Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, and Kaduna.
MAFAB’s rollout progress has been under continuous monitoring by the Commission, with regular briefings provided on the infrastructure deployment status for its service offerings, as specified in its operating license. The public and all stakeholders are urged to disregard any false and misleading information circulating about MAFAB’s 5G rollout.