Telecommunications firm, Airtel Nigeria, is approaching the 18,000-cell-site mark as it accelerates its network deployment across the country, adding more than 1,000 new sites and extending high-speed mobile connectivity deeper into rural communities.

The expansion, however, places the telecommunications operator as a telecoms firm making one of the largest sustained infrastructure commitments to Nigeria’s digital economy, with the company’s network now spanning all the 774 local councils in the country.

More than 99 per cent of Airtel Nigeria’s sites are 4G-enabled, with the company continuing to add new capacity and upgrade existing infrastructure as demand for mobile connectivity rises. Airtel Africa’s latest yearly report said the firm added more than 1,050 new sites during its 2025-26 financial year.

The pace represents a significant increase from the approximately 15,000 sites Airtel operated two years ago. By early 2026, the operator had crossed 17,000 sites, after adding about 2,000 sites in two years.

The current expansion has also taken the network further into locations that have historically been underserved by telecommunications infrastructure.

Airtel had previously said that a significant portion of its network investments is targeted at deep rural communities, small towns and the fringes of major cities.

Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Dinesh Balsingh, in February at a media roundtable, said the company intended to maintain the large scale of network expansion during 2026.

“Everyone has the right to digital connectivity, including people in deep rural markets and small communities,” Balsingh said.

Balsingh said the company’s investment programme was designed to improve coverage, capacity and resilience, with the benefits ultimately reflected in the quality of service experienced by customers.

Also, Director of Marketing, Ismail Adeshina, said the company’s network investments were ultimately aimed at making connectivity more useful in the everyday lives of Nigerians, as increasing numbers of consumers, families and businesses depend on mobile services for communication, commerce and access to essential services.

“With mobile connectivity increasingly serving as the platform for financial services, commerce, education, healthcare, agriculture and enterprise, expanding the physical network effectively increases the number of Nigerians able to participate in those activities,” Adeshina said.