The winners of the licence for 5G spectrum in Nigeria, Mafab Communications and MTN, are expected to accelerate the deployment of the technology, following the issuance of the final letters of award of the spectrum licences by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The two companies are expected to roll out the technology from August 24, 2022.
Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice chairman of NCC, confirmed the issuance of the letter to the Board of Commissioners at the Board’s Special Meeting on April 20 and 21.
According to the commission, the final letters signal that the winners are expected to accelerate the deployment of 5G network that will usher Nigeria into the fourth industrial revolution and a more digitised Nigerian economy.
“The 5G network, when deployed, will bring a lot of benefits and opportunities that will engender accelerated growth and smart living in the country,” the NCC said in a statement. “The technology is also expected to bring substantial network improvements, including higher connection speed, mobility, and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities.”
Sources at MTN said the telecom is ready to deploy the 5G network across the country. However, stakeholders in the telecom industry said Mafab may not be as ready as MTN and could still be sourcing the funds for infrastructure. Mafab is also believed to be considering the acquisition of an existing telecom operator in order to leverage its infrastructure in the rollout.
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The Information Memoranda on 5G spectrum by the NCC specifies that licence holders have to deploy the technology in at least two states in the first one year of securing the licence.
Following a transparent auction of 3.5GHz on December 13, 2021, the National Frequency Management Council, chaired by Isa Ali Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, on February 22, 2022, officially handed over the spectrum allocation for 5G deployment as well as Federal Government-approved National Policy on 5G to NCC.
The NCC, on February 24, 2022, confirmed the full payment of $273.6 million each by the two spectrum winners, in addition to the spectrum assignment fee paid by MTN for the 5G spectrum licence.
The commission expressed optimism that effective implementation of the National Policy on 5G would accelerate the actualisation of the national targets in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030, as well as other sectoral policies designed to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation.
“While the licensees are expected to meet the timetable regarding their 5G network rollout obligations, the NCC requires collective efforts and support of the private sector and government toward transforming every aspect of the nation’s economy through 5G, which will herald greater transformation than what the nation witnessed with the 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G.”
