There is a high demand for internet access in Nigeria, according to telecommunications services provider Ntel.

Speaking to ITWeb Africa in Lagos recently, CEO Kamar Abass said there is impatience among citizens for more efficient internet service, thus necessitating the need for a mass market service delivery approach – something the company is doing with its mobile 4G broadband service.

Abass described the network as the biggest 4G LTE network in Nigeria's capital city of Abuja. "We are 50% bigger than the closest rival in that city."

He emphasised the need to deliver higher internet access speeds than what is currently being offered by competitors and said that while internet speed of 230Mbps is possible on the network, 144Mbps has been demonstrated and multiple users can achieve the same speed. "The best way to put it is once you go 4G LTE, you cannot go back to 2G or 3G."

Abass says the number of subscribers is growing globally and this will continue. "We are currently seeing just a fraction of the picture, there is going to be a fundamental shift as narrow band technology is yet to be overtaken by broadband."

He noted that out of Nigeria's estimated 92 million active internet service subscribers, two-thirds still use narrow band connection - especially 2G which offers a speed of less than 1Mbps, which he says is responsible for Nigeria's poor data consumption.

"The average Nigerian internet user consumes about 200MB per month, while the global average is 800MB per month. In some places it is as high as 3G per month. We are going to see this grow as more people switch to 4G," he added.

Ericsson's influence

Prior to his appointment as the head of Ntel, Abass served as country manager for OEM Ericsson in Nigeria.

Earlier this year, ITWeb Africa reported that Ntel launched Nigeria's first Voice over LTE (VoLTE) using technology developed by Ericsson.

However, Ericsson has been struggling with a stagnant market for its products since most operators are done rolling out 4G LTE mobile broadband networks and 5G is not yet available, forcing the company to lay off thousands of workers this year alone with plans to further cut costs.

Ericsson's CEO, Hans Vestberg, was also recently forced to step down.

While admitting the existence of issues within Ericsson, Abass said they are observing developments at the company closely. "We don't see any problem with our relationship with Ericsson but we are following the developments very closely. Don't forget that we also have other suppliers."