MTN Nigeria and Huawei have announced the world’s first commercial deployment of sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO technology. The rollout is expected to improve 4G performance, increase network capacity, and prepare the groundwork for future 5G expansion in Nigeria.
MTN Nigeria has partnered with Huawei to activate what both companies describe as the first live commercial sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO site globally. The deployment marks a major step in improving mobile connectivity as data demand continues to rise across Nigeria.
Following activation on MTN’s network, the companies reported a 104 percent jump in low-band LTE traffic. User-perceived download speeds also increased by 28 percent, while physical resource block utilization dropped by 8 percent compared with the older 4T4R setup.
The technology is designed to solve one of the biggest issues facing operators in high-growth markets: limited low-band spectrum capacity. As more users move from 2G and 3G to 4G, pressure on mobile networks has increased sharply. At the same time, services like mobile payments, live streaming, and short-form video continue to drive higher data consumption.
Huawei said the new solution combines large antenna arrays with wideband technology in the valuable low-band spectrum. It is built to improve spectral efficiency while making better use of fragmented spectrum resources.
The system also supports multiple technologies including GSM, UMTS, LTE, NR, and NB-IoT. This means operators can modernize networks gradually while preparing for broader 5G adoption.
According to the companies, the solution doubles downlink LTE capacity compared with previous systems. When upgraded to NR in the future, capacity could increase by as much as 3.2 times.
MTN Nigeria Chief Technology Officer Yahaya Ibrahim said the company remains focused on delivering a stronger and more reliable communications network. He added that the partnership with Huawei has already improved network performance and user experience.
Huawei executive Zeng Chuang said the rollout proves the technology can boost coverage, uplink speeds, efficiency, and latency performance. He noted that it could also support growing numbers of AI-powered devices and connected IoT products.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- MTN Nigeria and Huawei launched sub-1 GHz Massive MIMO commercially
- Low-band LTE traffic reportedly increased by 104 percent
- Download speed experience improved by 28 percent
- Technology supports 4G growth and future 5G migration
- Designed to handle rising demand from streaming, payments, and IoT
As mobile usage expands rapidly in Nigeria, infrastructure upgrades like this could play a major role in keeping networks faster, more stable, and ready for the next phase of digital growth.
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