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Airtel Nigeria has introduced its SmartConnect 5G Outdoor Unit (ODU) Router to tackle Nigeria’s persistent broadband spread by providing a reliable, affordable, high-speed net solution for homes and businesses nationwide.
The device, unveiled successful Lagos astatine a little ceremonial recently, has an introduction terms of ₦25,000. According to Airtel Nigeria, the bundle includes a SIM card, escaped installation, and a complimentary 30-day unlimited information program astatine speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Subsequently, customers tin subscribe to monthly plans, including ₦25,000 for unlimited entree astatine 50 Mbps and ₦45,000 for unlimited entree astatine 100 Mbps.
According to the firm, dissimilar accepted indoor routers, the SmartConnect ODU is installed extracurricular the premises, enabling it to seizure stronger 4G and 5G signals. The router tin besides link aggregate devices astatine erstwhile and comes with a backup artillery that lasts up to six hours.
Speaking astatine the launch, Airtel Nigeria’s main enforcement officer, Dinesh Balsingh, said the merchandise reflects the company’s committedness to expanding entree to technology. “With SmartConnect, we are removing the barriers of outgo and complexity. Every household and each tiny concern deserves to beryllium connected without compromise,” helium said.
For his part, Airtel Nigeria’s selling director, Ismail Adeshina, said the router was designed with Nigerian users successful mind. “It is not capable to present velocity alone. People privation reliability, flexibility, and assurance that their router volition support them online adjacent successful the look of powerfulness cuts oregon web fluctuations,” helium stated.
Industry analysts said the ODU format is simply a applicable vantage arsenic it allows the router to fastener onto cleaner 5G oregon 4G signals, giving users a much accordant experience. An IT specialist, Kolawole Ojo, said Nigeria’s ambition to adjacent its broadband spread whitethorn beryllium importantly boosted with Airtel Nigeria’s caller instauration of its SmartConnect 5G router, which speaks straight to its connectivity challenges and opportunities.
He said, “At a terms constituent of N25,000, Airtel’s bundle includes the router, SIM card, escaped installation and 30 days of unlimited data. Thereafter, customers tin take betwixt N25,000 monthly for speeds of up to 50 Mbps oregon N45,000 for up to 100 Mbps. The router tin link galore devices astatine erstwhile and includes a artillery battalion lasting 5 to six hours.’’
According to NCC data, Nigeria’s broadband penetration stood astatine astir 43 per cent arsenic of aboriginal 2025. A telecommunications engineer, Michael Ivru, said that fig represents advancement from nether 10 per cent a decennary ago, but it besides highlights the region inactive to beryllium covered if the state is to conscionable its 70 per cent broadband penetration people nether the National Broadband Plan 2020–2025.
“We designed SmartConnect with the Nigerian world successful mind,” explained Ismail Adeshina, Marketing Director astatine Airtel Nigeria. “It is not capable to present velocity alone. People privation reliability, flexibility and assurance that their router volition support them online contempt powerfulness cuts oregon web fluctuations.”
The exertion manager of a telecommunications steadfast successful Abuja, Isa Malik, said SmartConnect enters a competitory but uneven market. He said that portion contiguous successful municipality centres similar Lagos and Abuja, fibre-to-the-home providers often complaint higher fees and stay absent successful galore states.
Malik said, “User reviews amusement some committedness and challenges. A idiosyncratic connected the assemblage forum Reddit has advised imaginable buyers to cheque Airtel’s sum maps carefully, noting that fallback to 4G is captious successful locations without beardown 5G signals. For the economy, it could beryllium 1 of the caller tools to assistance unlock the productivity of freelancers and tiny businesses portion modernising commercialized and accelerating the country’s march toward a much inclusive integer future,” helium said.
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