Home / Articles / Where Is 5G Available in Nigeria? City-by-City List for MTN and Airtel (2026)

ArticlesMobileSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Where Is 5G Available in Nigeria? City-by-City List for MTN and Airtel (2026)

Ade Adeniyi

October 16, 2026

39 Views 2 comments

Last updated: 16 October 2026 · By Naijatipsland Editorial Team · Editorial policy

5G is live in Nigeria, but only in parts of some cities, and only a small share of mobile connections use it. If you are wondering whether your area has 5G, the honest answer is that it depends on your street as much as your city. This guide lists the cities and states where MTN and Airtel report 5G in 2026, explains what you need to use it, and shows how to check your own location.

The city lists below come from operator-coverage roundups published between May and July 2026. Operators expand coverage often, so use their official coverage maps as the final word.

The short answer

• MTN 5G is reported in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu and Abeokuta, covering seven states and the FCT.
• Airtel 5G is reported in nine states: Lagos, the FCT, Oyo, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Kaduna, Ogun and Delta (Asaba and Warri).
• 5G made up only 4.49% of mobile connections in May 2026, up from 3.17% in August 2025.
• You need a 5G phone, a compatible SIM and to be inside a covered area. Otherwise your phone falls back to 4G.

MTN 5G coverage by city

• Lagos: Lagos Island, Lekki, Ikeja, Victoria Island.
• Abuja (FCT): Wuse, Garki, Maitama, Asokoro.
• Rivers: Port Harcourt.
• Oyo: Ibadan.
• Kano, Kaduna and Enugu: selected urban or commercial areas only.
• Ogun: Abeokuta and developing zones.

An MTN support reply on X from January 2023 listed only seven cities (Lagos, Ibadan, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Maiduguri and Kano), so the footprint has changed since then. Older lists on other sites may be out of date.

Airtel 5G coverage by city

• Lagos: Ikeja, Lekki, Victoria Island, Surulere, Yaba and Ajah, plus Ikoyi, Maryland, Festac and Ogudu mentioned in the article text.
• FCT: Abuja Municipal Area Council, Wuse, Garki, Maitama, Asokoro, plus Jabi, Gwarimpa, Utako and Central Area.
• Oyo: Ibadan. Rivers: Port Harcourt. Ogun: Abeokuta.
• Delta: Asaba and Warri.
• Kano, Enugu and Kaduna: selected areas, with no specific cities named.

Opensignal’s July 2026 report found Airtel users spent 36.3% of their time on 5G, compared with 26.8% for MTN. See our comparison of the fastest network in Nigeria for the speed data.

How big is 5G in Nigeria?

NCC data cited by AllAfrica put 5G at 4.49% of the 189.68 million active mobile subscriptions in May 2026. 4G held 54.30%, 2G 36.12% and 3G 5.10%. That means most Nigerians are still on 4G or older networks.

The same report said the NCC data showed a 5G coverage gap of about 70.9% in Lagos and 65.6% in Abuja, and that more than 57,000 5G-capable devices in those two cities could not connect to 5G. In other words, even in the biggest cities, owning a 5G phone does not guarantee a 5G signal.

Why the rollout is slow

• Cost: MTN and Mafab Communications each paid $273.6 million in December 2021 for a 100MHz block in the 3.5GHz spectrum auction. Operators must still fund the sites themselves.
• Charges: right-of-way and state-level levies add to deployment costs.
• Infrastructure: uneven fibre, frequent fibre cuts, security problems and unreliable power. The sector spends over $350 million a year on diesel.
• Weak incentive: 4G is adequate for most uses, so operators have limited reason to deploy 5G widely.

MTN’s capital spending, excluding leases, more than doubled in 2025 to about N1 trillion, and Airtel added 657 5G sites in 2025, so the network is growing.

What you need to use 5G

1. A 5G phone. Check that it supports the 5G bands used in Nigeria. Roundups list iPhone 12 and later as compatible, but confirm for your model.
2. A compatible SIM. Newer SIMs usually support 5G. If yours is old, ask the network’s service centre.
3. A data plan that allows 5G. Check your plan with your network.
4. Coverage at your location. Outdoors and near windows is often better.

5G can burn through data faster, because pages and videos load quicker. Watch your usage.

How to check 5G where you live

1. Open the official coverage map on your network’s website, or the My Airtel app or MyMTN app.
2. Turn 5G on in your phone’s network settings.
3. Go to the area on the map and see whether the 5G icon appears.
4. Run a speed test indoors and outdoors.
5. If you have no 5G where the map says you should, report it to customer care.

Frequently asked questions

Which Nigerian cities have 5G?

Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu and Abeokuta have 5G with MTN or Airtel, and Airtel also reports Asaba and Warri in Delta. Coverage is partial.

Does my state have 5G?

Roundups list 5G in Lagos, the FCT, Oyo, Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Kaduna, Ogun and Delta. Other states are not listed in the sources we checked.

Do I need a new SIM for 5G?

Often not, because newer SIMs support 5G, but older SIMs may need an upgrade.

Is 5G faster than 4G in Nigeria?

Yes. Opensignal’s July 2026 report found MTN’s 5G download averaged 143.9 Mbps and Airtel’s 129.3 Mbps, against 21.3 and 14.2 Mbps on all networks combined for those operators.

Does Glo have 5G?

Opensignal measured Glo’s 5G availability at 4.5% in July 2026, so it is very limited. We did not find a Glo city list.

Bottom line

5G is real but patchy. If you live in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt or Ibadan, and own a 5G phone, check the MTN and Airtel maps for your street before upgrading anything. Outside those cities, 4G is still the network you will use most.

Sources

• AndroidPols: MTN 5G coverage in Nigeria 2026
• AndroidPols: Airtel 5G coverage in Nigeria
• TechCity: 5G Nigeria 2026
• AllAfrica: Telecom, 5G adoption remains low despite huge investments
• Opensignal: Nigeria Mobile Network Experience Report, July 2026
• MTN Nigeria Support on X (January 2023 city list)

Related: Starlink in Nigeria: price, plans and whether it is worth it.