While refusing to officially comment on rumors of its plans to abandon the acquisition of Visafone following a comment credited to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), telecoms giant MTN has officially launched its 4G LTE service in Abuja.

The company is deploying the service via the 2.6GHz broadband spectrum license it won by auction in January.

Upon announcement as the winner, MTN said the 10-year license will guarantee superior performance for wireless networks, especially 4G LTE services, including the roll-out of broadband internet services across the country. It added that it would be deploying the 4G LTE service across the country starting from Lagos and Abuja.

MTN Nigeria CEO Ferdi Moolman said the deployment of MTN 4G LTE would enhance browsing experience across Nigeria and accelerate achievement of the country's targeted broadband penetration by 2018.

"By leveraging on our network, it promises to be the widest LTE coverage in Nigeria. With the acquisition of the 2.6GHZ spectrum earlier this year, our objective was clear: to build capacity to accommodate 4G LTE for the benefit of Nigerians because it is the fastest wireless internet connection available today. In fulfilling that objective, we have embarked on aggressive optimisation of our sites to beef up our capacity for 4G LTE."

Senator Gilbert Nnaji, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communications, commended MTN for investing in LTE and throwing its weight behind Nigeria's attempt to increase its broadband penetration.

"It is commendable that MTN continues to demonstrate that it is building its business in Nigeria based on sustainability in the long term. The MTN 4G LTE roll-out is a case in point and going by the potential of broadband to develop the economy, this underscores the premium the company has placed on innovation which contributes to socio-economic development now and in the future," he said.

MTN's Corporate Services Executive Amina Oyagbola said the company's 4G LTE service is available in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt, with plans for national rollout.