Nigeria’s 3G era nears its end as telcos shift focus

For millions of Nigerians, 3G was their first real connection to the internet.

The technology transformed mobile phones from devices used mainly for calls and text messages into gateways for web browsing, social media, email and online services. It powered Nigeria’s early internet boom, accelerated smartphone adoption and helped lay the foundation for the country’s digital economy.

Now, nearly two decades after its arrival, 3G is steadily approaching retirement.

MTN Group, Africa’s largest telecom operator, says it plans to begin shutting down some of its 3G networks before 2030. While the company has not announced a specific timeline for Nigeria, the direction is clear. Telecom operators increasingly want customers to move to faster and more efficient 4G and 5G networks.

“The focus today for us is really on 3G shutdown,” Selorm Adadevoh, MTN Group’s chief commercial, strategy and transformation officer, said during the company’s Capital Markets Day in June.

“We should have quite a robust plan between now and 2030 to shut down some of our 3G networks,” he added.

Operators are seeing less value in maintaining networks that consume spectrum and infrastructure resources but generate declining returns.

“With fewer users on 3G, telcos are committing resources to a network that no longer delivers adequate returns,” telecom analyst Osita Odafi told TechCabal.

According to him, operators can free up valuable spectrum by retiring 3G. They can then use those resources to expand 4G and 5G services, where customer demand continues to grow.

The story of 3G in Nigeria began long before smartphones became commonplace.

In 2006, Starcomms launched the country’s first 3G service using EV-DO technology. The service initially targeted laptop users through data cards and USB modems. Although Starcomms later exited the market, its early investment offered Nigerians a glimpse of mobile internet access beyond cybercafés and office networks.

The following year marked a major turning point. In March 2007, regulators issued 3G licences to MTN, Celtel Nigeria, Globacom and Alheri Engineering. Each company paid $150 million for spectrum rights, generating $600 million for the government.

Soon after, operators raced to build the infrastructure needed to support mobile broadband. They upgraded towers, expanded transmission networks and invested heavily in fibre connections.

The timing coincided with the global smartphone boom.

BlackBerry devices became hugely popular among students and professionals. BBM changed how many Nigerians communicated. Later, Android smartphones made internet access more affordable and accessible.

As a result, millions of people came online for the first time.

By 2014 and 2015, 3G accounted for nearly half of active mobile connections in Nigeria, according to GSMA Intelligence data. Many of the country’s earliest digital businesses, including media platforms, e-commerce startups and fintech companies, grew during that period.

Before 3G, internet access often meant visiting a cybercafé. After 3G, the internet moved into people’s pockets.

Today, however, the technology sits in an increasingly difficult position.

It is slower than 4G and 5G and offers few advantages over newer networks. At the same time, operators still incur costs to maintain the infrastructure.

“The way we think about our network infrastructure today, 2G is still a technology that we see as quite relevant going into the future,” Adadevoh said. “3G, on the other hand, has an economic equation that is not very promising for us.”

Recent data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) highlights the shift. In April 2026, 3G accounted for just 5.32% of mobile connections. By comparison, 4G represented 54.41%, while 2G still held 35.93%.

Meanwhile, 5G adoption continues to grow. Although operators launched the technology commercially only in 2022, it already accounted for 4.34% of mobile connections by April 2026.

Yet some industry experts believe Nigeria may not be ready to switch off 3G completely.

Olajide Mafolabomi, executive director at Cloud Interactive Media Group and a non-executive director at Telserve Networks, argues that operators still need to move more users onto 4G before retiring the older network.

“Do I think we have enough capacity on 4G to make the shutdown call? No, I don’t think so,” he said.

While 4G now accounts for more than half of all mobile connections, Mafolabomi believes operators should target much higher adoption levels before taking such a step.

“Before you can say you have enough of a critical mass on 4G, you need to get to maybe 85% to 90% of connections,” he said.

For now, 3G remains part of Nigeria’s telecom landscape. However, its role continues to shrink as consumers upgrade devices and operators invest in newer technologies.

The network that introduced millions of Nigerians to the internet may not disappear overnight. Still, after helping power the country’s digital transformation, its final chapter appears to be approaching.