The Nigeria government has officially handed over the spectrum allocation for Fifth Generation (5G) deployment in the country to the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).
The potential winners of the spectrum, MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications have barely a week before the expiration of the deadline set by the NCC for the payment of the spectrum fees.
So far, only MTN Nigeria has reportedly paid the $273 million 3.5GHz spectrum fees in full. Mafab, as of Thursday, has yet to pay for the licence, according to reliable sources.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, who also doubles as the Chairman, National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), presented the official document on the 3.5GHz spectrum allocation to the NCC at a public event which took place at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Thursday, February 17, 2022.
The event also saw the public presentation of the National Policy on 5G Networks, a document launched by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 25, 2022.
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During the event Pantami clarified the role of the NFMC which he chairs. The council, he explained, has the responsibility for managing the allocation of commercial and non-commercial spectrum resources in the country while the NCC is facilitating the deployment of spectrum in the country. Hence, the council decided to allocate the assigned spectrum for 5G network to the NCC to enable it to assign the same to the winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction.
Adeolu Akande, Chairman, NCC Board of Commissioners said the efforts of the council has ensured that every clog that could hinder successful deployment of 5G services are addressed, thus paving the way for mutual understanding and trust among all stakeholders to ensure that the derivable benefits of the new technology are harnessed timely for the nation’s socio-economic development.
He said the effective implementation of the National Policy on 5G, which the Commission is driving, will help in the actualization of the national targets in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030, as well as other sectoral policies designed to enhance Nigeria’s digital culture.
Garba Umar Danbatta, executive vice-chairman of NCC said the success so far recorded has been a function of the collective efforts of the stakeholders which include private sector and government agencies. He was optimistic that the expected transformation will be greater than what the nation witnessed with the 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G.
“Now we have the official allocation of the spectrum to the NCC for onward assignments to the winners. So, the coast is clear for the country to assign the specific reference in the spectrum to the winners, upon announcement of payments,” Danbatta said.
