Google to launch 200 free Wi-Fi hotspots in Nigeria by 2019

Google on Thursday announced it would launch a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots in 200 locations and five cities across Nigeria by the end of 2019.

The development comes as part of efforts to increase its presence in Africa’s most populous nation in places like markets, transport hubs, shopping malls, universities and more.

According to the Country Director, Google Nigeria, Juliet Chiazor, in a post on the company’s website, she described the development as a means to help more people in Nigeria and across Africa.

”Today, at our second Google for Nigeria event, we announced more products and programs to help more people in Nigeria and across Africa benefit from the opportunities the web has to offer,” she said.

”Google Station will be rolling out in 200 locations in five cities across Nigeria by the end of 2019, bringing Wi-Fi to millions of people. Sites will include markets, transport hubs, shopping malls, universities and more.”

Most Nigerians who access the internet do so through their mobile phones or using mobile phone networks.

In Q4 2017, active GSM internet subscriptions In Nigeria stood at 98,391,456, representing a 5.82 per cent growth from the previous quarter’s 92,975,682 active subscribers, according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Internet subscriptions were on an increasing trend throughout the year 2017, recording a 7.1 per cent growth in subscriptions between December 2016 and December 2017.

Lagos State recorded the highest active GSM internet subscriptions within the country, with 13,631,562 representing 13.81 per cent of all active internet subscriptions.