Experts advocate PPP model in broadband policy implementation

Experts in Nigeria’s vibrant telecommunications sectors are of the view that the adoption of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in the implementation of the national broadband plan would assist the country achieve its target of five-fold increase in Internet penetration by the end 2017.

Speaking at the 10th anniversary of Telecoms Consumer Parliament (TCP) held in Lagos, weekend, Osondu Nwokoro, director, regulatory affairs at Airtel Nigeria, said that broadband have been globally acknowledged as the foundation for transformation to a knowledge-based economy, further stating that “critical PPP will drive the efficient execution of the national broadband policy.”

In his opening remarks, Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) acknowledged the role of broadband to national development, adding that the federal government is continually taking steps towards providing an enabling regulatory and operating environment for the development of infrastructure that would support the growth and access to broadband services at affordable costs to consumers. “The framework to support the broadband infrastructure has been fully articulated and is being implemented buy the commission as reflected in the Open Access model adopted by the country”, he further explained.

Ibrahim Dikko, director, regulatory affairs at Etisalat, thinks government can play an important role in the area of spectrum allocation. According to him, there is need for additional spectrum to aid the roll out of affordable and efficient broadband services. “The plan for the 700MHz and 2.5GHz spectrum will assist in the deployment of mobile broadband. Over the next two years, the release of the spectrum resources will be critical in Nigeria’s quest to deepen broadband penetration”. He called on state governments to see mobile operators as partners in progress rather than as cash cows. “Until that is achieved, Nigeria will not make headway in the area of broadband”, he added.

Other senior executives of major telecoms companies were present at the consumer parliament, which is a veritable platform for subscribers to make complaints about service quality and seek redress. For Wale Goodluck, corporate services executive, MTN, pervasive broadband will make Nigerian globally competitive, stating that active support from government will accelerate broadband infrastructure deployment. “Broadband is social capital. It is something we have to build our economy on. Broadband will change the way we work, play and how we do business”, he added.

With the formulation and adoption of the national broadband plan, the recent auctioning of the 2.3GHz spectrum and the implementation of the broadband infrastructure framework as set out in the Nigerian Open Access Model, the stage has been set for broadband revolution in the country.

Ben Uzor Jr