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MTN Nigeria has launched the pilot version of its digital television broadcasting service in Jos, Plateau State.

In a statement released on Wednesday, MTN said the commencement of its TV service, which went live on Thursday, is sequel to the issuance of a 700MHz spectrum for broadcasting by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in 2015. (The telecoms company allegedly paid N34 billion for the NBC licence).

With the new service, MTN subscribers can now watch TV programmes on their smartphones and other devices via Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms like WhatsApp, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, and Twitter, among others.

“MTN is committed to providing Nigerians with innovative digital platforms which will enhance the way we live, work and play,” said Ferdi Moolman, MTN Nigeria CEO.

Moolman also said subscribers will have the freedom to watch their favourite programmes via MTN’s Video-on-demand (VOD) service, rather than having to watch at a specific broadcast time.

“This will be the first fully converged broadcast and OTT-VOD service to launch in MTN. Once we commence full commercial activities, the TV service will deliver an exciting bouquet of rich local and international content to Nigerians.”

MTN Nigeria is the largest mobile network operator in the country. It has over 61 million subscribers ahead of Globacom (33 million subscribers), Airtel (32 million subscribers) and Etisalat (22 million subscribers).