Airtel Nigeria launches open network to strengthen transparency, customer trust

L-R: Ismail Adesina, Director, Marketing, Airtel Nigeria; Ogo Ofomota, Director, Airtel Business; Dinesh Balsingh, MD/CEO, Airtel Nigeria; Dr Aminu Maida, EVC/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Edoyemi Ogoh, Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC; Femi Adeniran, Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria; and Harmanpreet Dhillon, Director, Networks, Airtel Nigeria, at the launch event for Airtel Open Network, themed “Let’s Build a Stronger Network Together”, held in Lagos on Friday 30 October 2026.

By Vivian Okejeme

In a milestone event that signals a fundamental shift in Africa’s telecommunications market, Airtel Nigeria has launched the Airtel Open Network, a groundbreaking, data-transparent digital platform on the My Airtel App that gives subscribers unprecedented visibility into network coverage, signal strength, and service performance.

The platform which was unveiled on Friday October 30, 2026 before an audience of key industry stakeholders led by Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), media partners, and corporate executives in Lagos makes Nigeria the first of Airtel Africa’s 14 operating markets to introduce this level of consumer-facing network accountability.

The Open Network feature, which is now live on the My Airtel Africa App to all Airtel subscribers, shows via visual icons, the 4G and 5G sites, sites being upgraded, and coming sites within a 500-metre radius of a customer’s location. Through a simple button on the app, customers may also share feedback on network performance issues directly to Airtel.

Addressing the regulators and industry leaders during his keynote address, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, said customers deserved clearer information about the network they depend on and the work being done to improve it.

“Trust grows when customers can see what is happening and know that their concerns are being heard. With Open Network, we are giving customers greater visibility into our network and a more direct way to tell us where their experience falls short,” Balsingh said.

Balsingh emphasised that the initiative transforms complex network telemetry into accessible, actionable insights for Airtel and its customers.

“The idea is straightforward; we want customers should have a clearer view of the network information available to them, so they can make more informed decisions about their connectivity. This is about making network information easier to access and understand, not asking customers to interpret complex technical details on their own,” he said.

In his special remarks, Dr Maida highlighted the importance of accessible information and appreciated the effort by Airtel to strengthen consumer confidence.

“Open Network by Airtel is an initiative that can complement the work we do at the NCC. The Commission’s assessment of service quality will continue to be guided by evidence and the standards that apply across the industry. This is why we expect operators to keep improving beyond minimum requirements, including addressing persistent service challenges, as Airtel is demonstrating with this initiative.”

The Open Network feature operationalises subscriber feedback through a structured, three-step journey built directly into the My Airtel Africa mobile application. By aggregating real-time subscriber input alongside multi-billion-naira physical infrastructure investments, Airtel Nigeria has said it will continue to deploy engineering upgrades dynamically to areas where coverage, capacity, and reliability enhancements are most critically needed.

Crucially, Airtel leadership highlighted that transparency must coexist with technical clarity. A coverage indicator does not guarantee uninterrupted reception under all conditions, as indoor penetration, structural barriers, handset specifications, and localized network congestion naturally influence individual experience.

“Open Network does not, by itself, resolve every service issue or automatically change network performance,” Balsingh noted. “What it offers is a superior starting point for understanding available information and raising concerns clearly when experience differs from expectations. Sustained operational investment is what improves network performance; information is what builds trust.”

The launch marks the commencement of a nationwide educational campaign. In the coming weeks, Airtel Nigeria said it will will roll out practical demonstrations and user guides across digital, retail, and traditional media channels to onboard its tens of millions of subscribers onto the platform.