Airtel tests LTE in Lagos

Airtel Nigeria, the local mobile unit of Indian telecoms group Bharti Airtel, has completed tests of Long Term Evolution (LTE) in Lagos, reports The Economic Times. The company will now move on to testing the 4G technology in other major cities across the country, including the capital Abuja and Port Harcourt. In February 2012 Airtel announced that it had boosted the maximum download speed available on its third-generation network to 42Mbps, following the implementation of Dual Carrier HSPA+ (DC-HSPA+) technology. At that date, the network was available in parts of all 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, notes TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database. Airtel is Nigeria’s third largest mobile operator by subscribers, with a customer base of 21.1 million at the end of September, translating to a market share of 19.7%.