Airtel Open Network is a new map inside the MyAirtel app that shows the network masts near you, which ones are being upgraded, and where new ones are planned. Airtel Nigeria launched it on Friday, 30 October 2026, and it also gives you a direct way to report poor calls, slow data and buffering videos from the exact spot where they happen.
The short version
Airtel Nigeria added a network map called Open Network to the MyAirtel app on 30 October 2026. You can see masts near you and report poor service from the spot where it happens.
- Open Network is inside the MyAirtel app under Quick Actions, so update the app first if you cannot see it.
- The map shows active sites, sites being upgraded, and planned sites, and you can tap a site to see whether it runs 4G or 5G.
- You can report poor calls, slow internet, no internet and buffering videos, with your number, location, how long it has lasted and when it happens.
- A mast near you does not guarantee good service, because congestion and other faults still play a part.
- The downside: you need a smartphone with the app, and Airtel has not said how fast it will respond to reports.
In plain terms: instead of shouting into a general customer care line, you can now see whether the problem is near a site Airtel is already working on, and send a report that carries your location and the kind of problem you have. That gives Airtel’s engineers something specific to check.
How to use Airtel Open Network in the MyAirtel app
These are the steps Airtel described at the launch. Menu names can change as the app updates, so look for the closest match.
- Update the MyAirtel app from the Google Play Store or the App Store. If you cannot see the new feature, an old version of the app is the usual reason.
- Open the app and tap Quick Actions on the home screen, then choose Open Network.
- Allow the app to use your location when it asks. That is how it shows the sites closest to you.
- Switch between the map view and the satellite view to find your street or estate.
- Tap any site to see its ID number, whether it runs 4G or 5G, and, for sites under upgrade, what work is going on and how far along it is.
How to report bad Airtel network from the app
The feedback section in Open Network sends your report to Airtel Assist. You can report four kinds of problems: poor voice call quality, slow internet, no internet at all, and videos that keep buffering.
Airtel asks for a few details with each report. Have them ready so your complaint is useful:
- The phone number that has the problem.
- Whether it happens indoors, outdoors or both.
- How long it has been going on.
- Whether it happens all the time or only at certain times of day, such as every evening.
A tip that costs nothing: note the time each time the network fails over two or three days before you report. A report that says “data stops every night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. inside my flat” is far easier to act on than “network is bad”.
What the Airtel Open Network map shows
The map separates three kinds of sites: active sites that are serving the area now, active sites that are being upgraded, such as a move to 5G or more capacity, and planned sites that are not working yet. Where Airtel has a date for a planned site, the map can show when it is expected.
Will this fix your network?
Not by itself, and Airtel says so. Its chief executive, Dinesh Balsingh, told the launch that Open Network is meant to help the company “listen better” and “understand problems more precisely”, not to repair faulty sites on its own.
Dr Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), attended the launch and said, “Ultimately, customers will judge this initiative by how useful it is to them.” A site near you does not guarantee strong service either. Crowded networks, problems on the link that feeds the mast and other technical faults can still slow you down.
The downside: the feature lives inside the app, so people without a smartphone are left out for now. Airtel has also not said how quickly it will respond to reports or whether you will get updates on a fix.
Why Airtel launched it now
Network quality has been under pressure across the industry. In a statement from his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu welcomed the launch and said the success of telecom investment “must ultimately be measured by the experiences of Nigerians who depend on these services”. The statement said Airtel has grown from about 15,000 sites two years ago to more than 17,000, including over 1,050 new sites, 657 of them 5G, in its 2025/26 financial year. You can read it in the President’s statement as published by Voice of Nigeria.
What to do next
Update the app today and check the sites around your home and office. If a nearby site is marked as under upgrade, give it some time. If it shows as active and your service is still poor, file a report with the details above and keep any reference number you are given.
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