Telcos Build 20,000 BTS as Phones Ring across Nigeria

As at last count, some 20,000 base stations, sites that enable mobile phones to work, now dot Nigeria’s skyline from east to west and north to south, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can now reveal.
The base stations have continued to grow as telcos spread their tentacles across the nation and even to places where telephone has not rang for the first time.
At the start of 2009, there were little over 18,000 base station sites in Nigeria, and going by rapid expansion of existing telcos and entrance of new ones, this figure could rise to approximately 24,000 by the end of 2009.
Leading Global System for Mobile (GSM) operators are key drivers of the burgeoning increase in the number of base stations with the three leaders, MTN Nigeria, Globacom and Zain accounting for more than 15,000.
Elsewhere, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators have close to 5,000 base stations.
Base station antennas of either GSM or CDMA can be mounted on a large mast or tower, an existing building, rooftops or street furniture such as street lamps.
Without base stations, mobiles will not work.