Airtel Nigeria has surpassed 17,000 cell sites as the telecommunications operator increase network expansion across the country, adding more than 1,000 sites annually to extend high-speed connectivity to underserved communities.
The expansion brings Airtel closer to the 18,000-cell-site milestone and reinforces the operator’s growing infrastructure footprint across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas.
According to Airtel Africa’s latest annual report, its Nigerian operation added more than 1,050 new sites during the 2025-26 financial year, as the company continued to invest in network coverage, capacity and resilience.
The latest expansion represents a significant increase from the approximately 15,000 sites Airtel operated two years ago. By early 2026, the company had crossed the 17,000-site mark, following the addition of about 2,000 sites over two years.
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