Airtel Nigeria puts its network map in subscribers’ hands

Airtel Nigeria, the second-largest mobile network operator in the country, has introduced a new feature called Airtel Open Network, allowing subscribers to view nearby 4G and 5G network sites, including those undergoing upgrades and future installations, through the My Airtel Africa app. The feature, launched in Lagos on October 30, 2026, displays network sites within a 500-meter radius of a subscriber's location, using visual cues to indicate active sites, those being upgraded, and planned locations.

This initiative, Airtel's first of 14 operating markets in Africa, aims to provide greater network visibility and a direct channel for customers to report poor network experiences. By combining network information with customer feedback, Airtel hopes to identify coverage gaps and focus engineering efforts on areas with poor connectivity.

The company hopes the initiative will help subscribers understand available infrastructure and report service gaps, complementing the Nigerian Communications Commission's (NCC) assessment of service quality, which found that while 78% of major roads had mobile signals, only 42% offered stable, high-speed 4G or 5G connectivity. The NCC also identified over 120 critical black spots with no mobile signal.

Airtel Nigeria's CEO, Dinesh Balsingh, emphasized the platform's goal of increasing network transparency and providing a direct line for customers to communicate service issues. Airtel plans to use feedback from the platform alongside its infrastructure investments to guide network improvements, addressing factors like indoor coverage, building structures, handset specifications, and network congestion that can affect individual subscribers' experience.