Airtel Adds 1,000 5G Sites in Nigeria in 2026

The expansion takes Airtel Nigeria’s network infrastructure beyond 17,000 sites as the telecoms operator launches a digital tool for reporting connectivity problems

Airtel Nigeria has added more than 1,000 fifth-generation (5G) network sites in 2026 as the telecommunications operator expands its infrastructure to meet rising demand for faster mobile connectivity and improve service quality across the country.

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The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Dinesh Balsingh, disclosed this on Friday during the launch of Airtel Open Network, a new feature on the My Airtel Africa app designed to give subscribers greater visibility into network performance and a digital channel for reporting service issues.

The latest deployment forms part of Airtel’s wider infrastructure investment programme, which has taken its total network sites beyond 17,000 following the addition of more than 1,050 sites in the previous financial year.

Speaking at the launch, Balsingh said the company’s investments were aimed at extending connectivity and improving the experience of customers who depend on mobile networks for business transactions, education, communication and other everyday activities.

“During the last financial year, Airtel Nigeria added more than 1,050 new sites and has surpassed 17,000 sites nationwide. This year, 2026 alone, Airtel has added more than 1,000 5G sites to date, expanding access to high-speed connectivity across the country,” he said.

The expansion comes amid growing demand for mobile data, digital financial services and other internet-dependent activities, placing greater pressure on telecommunications operators to improve network capacity and coverage.

Alongside its infrastructure investment, Airtel is introducing digital tools to improve how it receives and responds to customer complaints.

The newly launched Open Network feature allows subscribers to access information about their network experience and submit feedback that could help the company’s technical teams identify the location and nature of connectivity problems.

Balsingh explained that conventional complaint channels, including call centres and physical customer service outlets, did not always provide sufficiently precise information about network challenges.

He said the new platform would enable customers to provide more detailed feedback, helping engineers investigate reported issues and identify areas requiring technical improvements.

However, he clarified that the feature would not automatically repair network faults or eliminate service disruptions.

Instead, it would serve as an additional channel for gathering information and improving the company’s response to complaints.

Airtel is also expanding its physical customer service infrastructure, with more than 225 premium experience stores and plans to increase the number to 500.

The company currently operates over 9,000 exclusive shops across local government areas and has a retail network of more than 73,000 agents nationwide.

The Open Network launch builds on Airtel’s earlier introduction of an artificial intelligence-powered spam alert service in March 2025.

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According to Balsingh, the service flagged more than 9.6 million suspected spam messages within its first two months of operation.