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Tag: NCC

  • NCC to sustain drive for digital economy transformation – Danbatta

    NCC to sustain drive for digital economy transformation – Danbatta

    The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, has emphasised the commitment of the Commission to continually drive initiatives that accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure, in order to enhance economic transformation of Nigeria.

    Danbatta reiterated the commitment of the Commission while speaking at the NCC Day, at the recently-concluded 43rd Kaduna International Trade Fair, organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA).

    Speaking on the overarching theme of the event “Strategising Nigerian Economy for Global Competitiveness,” in the context of the regulatory activities of the Commission, the EVC, who was represented by a Senior Manager at the Commission, Attah Ogbadu, said the NCC has been at the heart of providing the digital impetus for transforming the businesses and sustaining socio-economic activities in Nigeria.

    Danbatta stated that due to the COVID-19-induced economic downturn and continued volatility, many countries are exploring policies to stimulate growth and create new jobs. “Information Communications Technology (ICT) is one of the fastest-growing industries because it triggers the creation of millions of jobs and therefore an enabler of innovation and socio-economic development”, Danbatta stated.

    The EVC also asserted that while COVID-19 pandemic came with its attendant challenges, the Commission has continued to work assiduously with various stakeholders to see how more businesses can embrace digital platforms for delivering their services to the consumers.

    He explained that aside accelerating digital infrastructure, NCC is also paying attention to ensuring a level-playing ground for operators to promote investment and ghe delivery of innovative services to individual consumers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and big business owners by ensuring enhanced consumer quality of experience.

    “So, as a regulator, we also ensure we constantly inform you, the consumers, on how to be protected to prevent cases of online fraud and otherwise ensure you do not fall victims to cybercrimes while using the internet, legitimately”, Danbatta stated to underscore NCC’s commitment to consumer protection.

    Also speaking at the NCC Day forum, The President of KADCCIMA, Suleiman Aliyu, who was represented by an official of the Chamber, Farouk Sulaiman, commended NCC for its regular and impactful attendance and participation at the trade fair. He also placed on record NCC’s commitment to improving network coverage and consumer-centric initiatives, which are increasingly impacting job creation, the emergence of new services and industries, workforce transformation, and business innovation.

    On the theme of the event, Aliyu said the theme was chosen to complement the efforts of the government in promoting economic growth. Aliyu asserted that the critical impact of the communications sector on the nation’s economic output is evident in its contribution to the Fross Domestic Product (GDP).

    According to Aliyu, “the competitiveness of Nigeria would depend on our ability to leverage new technologies in light of the rapid growth of the number of active mobile subscriptions, internet subscribers, and broadband penetration, indices of telecom sector’s mark as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the country.”

    Meanwhile, majority of telecom consumers, who attended the trade fair, also visited the NCC Day event and the NCC corner of the Exhibition Group of the KADCCIMA. There, officials of NCC’s Consumer Affairs Bureau educated the enthusiastic consumers on the various consumer-centric initiatives instituted by the Commission to inform, educate and protect consumers.

    The telecom consumers also seized the opportunity of the platform provided by NCC at the Fair, to make complaints and to resolve their service-related challenges at the NCC Stand of the Exhibition, which also housed representatives of telecoms operators who responded to the concerns of the consumers.

  • War has no respect for telecoms or broadcasting – By Okoh Aihe

    War has no respect for telecoms or broadcasting – By Okoh Aihe

    By Okoh Aihe

    War is no war game. It is not reality TV or the world of make-believe. It is no time for make-up, pyrotechnics or stunting. What you see is what it is. Reality. Death. Disaster. And destruction in the extreme and very extensive.

    The weapons of death find a grotesque means of expression. And the after-effects and the body counts can be inaccurate because some are interred in the debris for eternity.

    War is not a good thing. It destroys life. Destroys civilization. And takes humanity back to the age of barbarism. At least what is left of humanity. Life carries no meaning and hopelessness becomes even more nourishing than summarised finality.

    War is worse when there is a little bit of psychotic mix, some dolorous hubris wrapped in phantasy. Those who instigate wars become villains forever and history reserves for them a foretaste of damning hell. Condemnation for them is in perpetuity.

    As I watch live television of the Russian army raining down bombs on Ukrainian cities, I am pained to observe that this is not reality TV; this is a comprehensive disaster unfolding before humanity. The immediate and after-effects will be very overwhelming and may serve as a lasting condemnable hold on the conscience of those who, in their powerful positions, prevaricated or totally refused to do something when daring actions were exigent.

    So innocence and helplessness are traumatised when not completely mangled, and those who thought they had earned a right to peaceful life have been bombed out of their homes and into a life that may remain strange to them forever.

    War is not good. In Ukraine, telecommunications and broadcast facilities were targeted and bombed. TV and phones have become a luxury to people on the run who are now unable to connect with their loved ones trapped in the country because of martial law declaration and may not be able to connect with them ever again. War is not good.

    War is not good. President Putin of Russia is becoming increasingly insular. For declaring a war on another country, businesses including communications and broadcast companies are taking a bolt out of Russia by way of protest. And the government is doing even more by making it impossible for their people to connect to the rest of the world. The world is against Russia, they say. What an irreverent myopia.

    Ordinarily, the country lives in a world of its own, some kind of bubble that is very surreal. It’s worse even now. Last week Putin signed the ‘fake news’ law which criminalises the ventilation of news in dissonance with the authorities of Russia and could send journalists to prison for up to ten years. For instance, it may be fake news to even suggest that Russia is losing soldiers in the war with Ukraine or that some of her fighter jets have been shot down. No. You must have the permission of the authorities to ever traverse that route. These are desperate times and more desperate measures may be on the way.

    Fake news is not strange to us in this part of the world. Methinks fake news provides a lot of blanket cover for any government that is failing in its responsibilities to its people. Otherwise, why would one be afraid of alternative views and suggestions or even of any information that is discomforting to the few but salubrious to the majority in the main.

    When people were shot at the Lekki Toll Gate during the #EndSARS protest on October 20, 2020, they said it was fake news. When the power generating authorities in Nigeria cannot give power to the people and businesses, they say it is fake news, when bad fuel is imported into the country and helpless motorists have to spend days and nights at the filling stations, they say it is fake news. In fact, the reality of the pain we carry in Nigeria is fake news. Everything is on a roll, and el dorado is the smallest of realities that we enjoy.

    Watching Russia and Ukraine brings my attention to my country. Just another look at the two countries, I realise how much damage politicians can cause without ever pausing to think that Armageddon which their actions instigate most of the time spares nobody. Why will they not ever moderate their greed, excesses and lousiness?

    The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have fought assiduously to make telecommunications facilities critical infrastructure, thus making it an offence for anybody to go on a wilful damage of such infrastructure.

    Oftentimes, the actions of politicians lay no expediency to such critical thinking. They make appointments without thinking of the consequences. They make laws and boast they can do anything and nothing will happen. So, they threw away every suggestion to comfort the Nigerian woman in the just amended constitution. Oh, nothing will happen. And the cauldron boils within, with some fragments of discontents, waiting to find an expression one day. Perhaps, a very violent one.

    I look at Russia and Ukraine fighting each other, one powerful nation against an easy-going one. I also look at our nation and the contradictions within, the crevices that are getting wider every day, soaking in a lot of blood. And the politicians have hardly taken any serious measures to restore peace and confidence back to the land. But such lethargy and ignoble inaction would always come to an end, not always a pleasant one.

    This is why I make this appeal, for the politicians and our lawmakers to make laws that protect the people, laws that guarantee life and offer tomorrow as a better alternative. Without equivocation, war is war, whether it is between nations or among the nationalities within a nation. In the eventuality of a war, everybody suffers, everything suffers. It doesn’t matter whether telecommunications have been declared critical infrastructure or not, war burns everything, war takes everything down, including telecommunications and broadcasting. Telecoms and broadcasting are the first to be attacked in order to keep the people in the dark. War is not good and can hardly be a preferred alternative for dispute resolution.

  • NCC targets 1 billion devices on 5G in 2 years

    NCC targets 1 billion devices on 5G in 2 years

    The Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) says that it is targeting one billion devices for the Five Generation (5G) network in the next two years.

    NCC Head of Fixed Network Converged Services, Babagana Digima, made this known at the ongoing AfricaNXT 2022 on Thursday in Lagos.

    Digima said that the 5G technology was meant to deliver higher data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.

    He said that the 5G technology would be faster and able to handle more connected devices than the existing 4G LTE network including smart television and radio.

    According to him, it will also revolutionize and transform people’s way of life and be beneficial for the socio-economic development of Nigeria with enhanced capabilities providing new and enhanced mobile communications services.

    Also speaking at the event, Usman Aliyu, NCC Head of Space Services, said that 5G was faster than the brain and would bring about a lot of innovations with speed.

    Aliyu said that 5G would hasten smart city and have an impact on every aspect including agriculture, education, Information and communication, urban Infrastructure, sports,

    AfricaNXT, formerly known as Social Media Week, is an annual event with over 200 sessions.

  • 5G will revolutionise Nigeria’s creative industry – Danbatta

    5G will revolutionise Nigeria’s creative industry – Danbatta

    …tasks practitioners on next phase of growth

    …as NCC receives Best Agency Award for development

    The current efforts of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to facilitate deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) technology will further catalyse the innovativeness and creativity of the entertainment industry in Nigeria and raise its productivity and contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to new levels. The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, has said.

    Danbatta, stated this in a keynote address delivered at the Nollywood Economic Outlook (NEO 2022) organised in Lagos recently, and well-attended by Nollywood personalities and other critical stakeholders in the creative industry.

    The organisers of the NEO 2022 forum also presented the Award of “Best Agency in Government Sustainable and Development Agenda” to the Commission for its role in facilitating digital connectivity to fast-track Nigeria’s economic growth as well as accelerate attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria.

    Speaking on the theme: “Leveraging 5G Technology for the Advancement of Creative Industry,” Danbatta, who was represented by the NCC’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Grace Ojougboh, said 5G technology will disrupt the media business models in the creative industry just as he emphasised that need for practitioners in the creative industry to leverage the power of 5G technology to expand the frontiers of the industry for the next phase of its growth.

    “The 5G will revolutionize how content is produced, distributed, and consumed, unlocking existing technologies for wider audiences and enabling a new wave of applications. It will also enable broadcasters to transmit footage back to their base within a short period of time, thus creating more coverage opportunities,” Danbatta said.

    He explained that 5G technology networks will transform businesses leading to higher productivity improvements via real-time flow of information. “Consequently, this will permit the optimization of business functions and creation of new value chains for customers through advances in Internet-based web technology and search engines. This is expected to lead to the development and pervasiveness of Over-the-top (OTT) services,” he said.

    Danbatta further stated that running 5G network, over-the-top (OTT) platforms and applications will also offer video content over the internet as against the traditional cable or satellite television. This, he said, was because technologies enabled by 5G will utilize novel and innovative channels to enhance the experience of viewers.

    “So, for the creative industry, 5G will also enable delivery of high-quality content direct to consumers by the broadcast industry at the touch of a button. Accordingly, it will offer users seamless experience when they stream videos on mobile devices (Smartphones and tablets) and web televisions that use solutions such as Chromecast, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, as well as Smart TVs,” the EVC said.

    Danbatta told the audience that as demands for high-quality content and streaming increase, 5G connectivity presents the perfect opportunity to push the OTT viewer experience to the next level. He said with super-fast 5G download speeds up to 10 times faster than the current networks and therefore, lower latency that will improve viewers experience of video on demand and make them to enjoy highly reliable services.

    The 5G technology will allow the creative industry to better understand future requirements, explore new creative formats, build new mobile video capabilities, pursue strategic partnerships, and assess their data collection practices and database requirements.

    “Information and Communications Technology has already made the world a global village due to its ubiquitous connection to remote locations across the globe. The 5G technology capabilities will make the world even smaller, thus enabling easy distribution of content across the globe in real time,” he stated.

    Danbatta concluded by stating that 5G technology is set to redefine the way people live and work and will usher the much-talked-about Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) with its promise of a rapid social and economic development of the country.

    Danbatta used the opportunity of the event to intimate the audience of the policy and regulatory efforts of the government, through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy as well as the NCC, which have culminated in the licensing of spectrum resources for the deployment of 5G network in the country.

    He asserted that disruptive innovations shaping the future of the world, such as; Mobile Broadband, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Autonomous and Near-Autonomous Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Block-Chain Technology, Robotics and Quantum Computing and more, are pivoted on telecommunications, especially the 5G technology.

    Earlier, the Host of the programme and Executive Secretary, Board of Trustees of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Sunny McDon , said there had been all sorts of predictions about the introduction of 5G technology and the sheer number of devices that will become connected through its introduction in Nigeria. He therefore advocated a focus on the impact on the creative industry, businesses and Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, who was represented at the event by Mr. Idowu Johnson, spoke on “Imperatives for Building Lasting Structures for the Sustenance of the Creative Industry.”

  • For 5G and Electoral Act, two important days in 2022 – By Okoh Aihe

    For 5G and Electoral Act, two important days in 2022 – By Okoh Aihe

    By Okoh Aihe

    There was a seeming deconstruction of reality last week. The second winner at the 5G auction, Mafab Communications Ltd, made payment of the balance of the $273.6m license fee on deadline day, February 24, 2022, thus completing the allegory of a David taking Goliath down with just an ordinary stone from a sling. In plain terms Mafab wrecked every expectation of impossibility as a rookie player by doing the nigh impossible in a field where even giants stayed with their inner cautionary voices.

    A few hours later, the people’s will prevailed as President Muhammadu Buhari signed the amended Electoral Bill into Law. The politicians have been forced to accommodate technology in the nation’s election system which they had earlier bluntly refused, holding unto straws as they journeyed to the past. There was an outrage that overwhelmed their political craftiness and personal greed. They had to eat their shame and listen to the people.

    On the above, this administration has earned a perfect score within hours as the President can at least point to something elevating, a rare feature in a country where nearly everything is on a downward spiral. For instance, the nation’s power sector is challenged extensively, and nobody is saying anything. To add more pain to that crippling difficulty, the fuel queues have returned as a crowning shame to the importation of bad fuel for which nobody will be punished. Impunity has weight and space in this administration and those who fought for power are unable to apply it to resolve problems, except to wear the appurtenances of its glory.

    I am of the opinion here that the conclusion of the 5G auction process and the signing of the amended Electoral Bill are good signs that our humanity as a people is not totally interred yet. It is a welcome development that INEC would not have to consult with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to determine if there was enough digital capacity in an environment for election results to be transmitted electronically.

    The President’s pen carries a punch. From February 25, 2022, INEC has been empowered by law to ensure that votes count and taken through secure electronic channels. I am happy the President has signed his way into glory, at least, for once.

    There will always be a nexus between telecommunications and every other sector of the economy or the entire fabric of the nation’s socio-political system. With 5G, life will be transformed and transactions supremely influenced. This is why we cry for the telecoms sector not to be unduly adulterated by political viruses.

    One can therefore understand the excitement last Thursday when the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, announced a final closure to the exercise which began December 13, 2021. The auction money was in government’s vault, waiting for the kind of justice that happens to every money that goes into the Federation account.

    “I wish to officially announce that NCC has received and confirmed payments from MTN and Mafab for their acquisition of 1 slot of 100Mhz each in the 3.5Ghz spectrum auction, which was successfully conducted by the Commission on December 13, 2021. They both met the deadline of February 24, 2022 as set by the Commission”, Danbatta informed.

    Good news can come like a flash of light in the heart of darkness. To millions of people stranded on the roadside and thousands on fuel queues, or yet for several millions of people across the nation running for cover from an undeclared war, this piece of information will have little meaning. Yet it is good execution of processes like this that helps in building better life for the generality of the people. Unfortunately, successive governments have mismanaged most of our opportunities.

    But this is Danbatta’s day and we must listen to him. “Arising from this and on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the Board and Management of the NCC, I wish to congratulate the MTN and Mafab for this feat, as we look forward to accomplishing other deployment timelines in the 5G deployment roadmap, as articulated in the National Policy on 5G Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy”, he stated.

    This is where the real work begins, the rollout stage, time to demonstrate the real tech and financial capacity that constitute the enigmatic content of the big and the rookie operator. No insults intended here because it will really be inappropriate to weigh Mafab and MTN on the same scale, only if for the sheer reason that while the latter has operational experiences across Africa and other nations of the world, Mafab is only reading to break out of its cocoon. MTN actually paid nearly $16m to secure a preferred band.

    This writer is mindful of the words of the EVC that “we look forward to accomplishing other deployment timelines in the 5G deployment roadmap, as articulated in the National Policy on 5G Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.” Much as we support this idea to the hilt, we want to recall again that there are aspects of the policy that may encumber the rollout plans of the operators. There are some personal concerns and selfish details expressed in the policy that may not support the business projections of the 5G operators.

    Thankfully, the government is promising to support their rollout efforts with good enabling environment for their operations. This is well said because rollout is going to be expensive and challenging. This is the more reason the NCC should allow the operators to rollout as per their business plans instead of directing them on places to commence services. Rollout dates and targets should take precedence over cities and states of service deployment.

    I already observed that service deployment will be expensive and challenging. For this reason, I want to suggest that Mafab, which is proving to be a giant killer, should be given some tax holiday when it commence services. The young organisation will need every support and encouragement to survive in a new terrain. I will go a step further to add that MTN’s investment in 5G be considered for tax rebate as well.

    My thinking is that the advantages of, and opportunities from 5G are so multifarious and overwhelming that the regulator must deploy every trick in the regulatory books to escalate the progress and success of the operators who are bold enough to plow in investment to introduce life-changing niche technology to the country. Yes. More housekeeping is needed to regulate the telecommunications industry with a view to providing a better and more protective business environment to those with the large hearts to bring in new funds.

    All the same, congratulations are in order for the NCC and also the Nigerian President who signed his way into the history books last week.

  • Senate confirms Bindawa as NCC Non-Executive Commissioner

    Senate confirms Bindawa as NCC Non-Executive Commissioner

    The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Professor Mansur Auwalu Bindawa as a Non-Executive Commissioner on the Governing Board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

    The confirmation of the nominee on Tuesday followed the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Communications.

    The report was laid and presented by Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe (Kwara Central), on behalf of the Committee Chairman, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central).

    Oloriegbe, in his presentation, said Bindawa’s nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari, was in compliance with the provisions of Sections 5(3); 8(1); and 11(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

    He added that the nominee met the statutory requirements regarding his professional and educational competence for appointment as Non-Executive Commissioner on the NCC Governing Board.

    He disclosed that preliminary checks did not reveal any record of indictment against the nominee by any administrative/judicial panel or court of law for abuse of office or criminal offence.

    The nominee was confirmed after the consideration and adoption of the Committee’s report.

  • BREAKING: NCC confirms MTN, Mafab have paid for 5G licences

    BREAKING: NCC confirms MTN, Mafab have paid for 5G licences

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed provisional winners of the 3.5 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum licence, MTN Communications Nigeria Plc and Mafab Communications, have made their full payment of $273.6 million each for the 5G Spectrum license.

    The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta made confirmation of the payment known on Thursday, just as the deadline set for the two winners of the spectrum auction elapsed.

    As part of the auction process emplaced by the Commission in the Information Memorandum (IM), three companies, namely MTN Nigeria, Mafab Communications Ltd and Airtel Networks Ltd submitted bids with an initial bid deposit (IBD) of $19.74 million, representing 10 per cent of the Reserve Price of the 3.5GHz Spectrum by the close of the Bid submission date of November 29, 2021.

    Following the successful auction on December 13, 2021 and the emergence of MTN and Mafab as winners, they were required to pay the balance of the bid amount of $253.86 million on or before February 24, 2022.

    However, aside the $273.6 million payment, MTN paid additional $15.9 million, being the bidding sum it offered at the assignment state of the spectrum auction, making it clinch its preferred Lot 1 (3500-3600 Megahertz-MHz) in the 3.5Ghz spectrum; while, Mafab Communications, which bided lower at the assignment stage, consequentially settled with Lot 2 (3700-3800Mhz) at no extra cost.

    Confirming the payments by the two licensees, Danbatta said: “I wish to officially announce that NCC has received and confirmed payments from MTN and Mafab for their acquisition of 1 slot of 100Mhz each in the 3.5Ghz spectrum auction, which was successfully conducted by the Commission on December 13, 2021. They both met the deadline of February 24, 2022 as set by the Commission”.

    “Arising from this and on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, the Board and Management of the NCC, I wish to congratulate the MTN and Mafab for this feat, as we look forward to accomplishing other deployment timelines in the 5G deployment roadmap, as articulated in the National Policy on 5G Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy”, Danbatta stated.

    For meeting the payment deadline, Danbatta has commended the two companies for their commitment to 5G deployment drive through their private investments, which he said, was a demonstration of the licensees’ belief in the sound regulatory environment in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.

    Danbatta also expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for its support and commitment to the deployment of 5G technology in Nigeria which, he said, will bring substantial network improvements, including higher connection speed, mobility and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities to communications services in Nigeria.

    The Commission published a Public Notice on its decision to award two lots of 100MHz Time Division Duplex (TDD) available in the 3.5 GHz band through an auction process, to support the delivery of ubiquitous broadband services for the deployment of 5G technology in Nigeria.

    Subsequently, an Information Memorandum (IM) was issued on November 10, 2021, in which Bid Applications for the available spectrum lots were invited. By the deadline for receipt of applications on November 29, 2021, the Commission received applications from three licensed telecommunications companies, namely: Airtel Networks Limited, Mafab Communications Limited, and MTN Communications Nigeria Plc.

    The Auction held successfully on Monday, December 13, 2021 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja with the three bidders competing for the available two lots in which the Commission adopted the Ascending Clock Auction format that ended after Round 11, and proceeded to the Assignment Stage.

    In the auction, MTN and Mafab emerged provisional licence winners and arising from this, the winning bid price for the auction was put at $273.6 million for each lot of 100 MHz TDD. The Provisional licence winners were then directed to pay the Winning Bid Price less the Intention-to-Bid Deposit, by February 24, 2022.

    Industry stakeholders and observers have commended the Commission for the auction process, described as efficient, fair, well-organised and transparent; as well as designed to deliver the ideal outcome which saw the strongest bidders emerge as winners, raising a substantial amount for the Federal Government and setting the stage for the next phase in Nigeria’s 5G roadmap.

  • Finally NCC receives full payments from MTN, Mafab for 5G licence

    Finally NCC receives full payments from MTN, Mafab for 5G licence

    Finally, both MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications have fulfilled their payments for the 5G spectrum auctioned by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in December 2021.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports MTN had earlier completed its payments, while Mafab completed its payments on Thursday, following apprehension expressed by NCC.

    Nigeria raised the total sum of USD563,100,000 (roughly N231 billion) in the auction of 3.5GHz spectrum band for the deployment of 5G network technology across the country.

    The auction of the 3.5GHz spectrum band by the NCC, Nigeria’s telecoms regulators took place in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Through the auction, the Nigerian government through the NCC offered spectrum for 5G roll out in the country in the 3.5GHz band.

    According to the NCC, the sum raised includes the prices for the right to use licences, and investment commitments tied to the band as well as the premium paid.

    TNG reports Nigeria’s main mobile operator, MTN Nigeria and a little known operator, Mafab Communications Ltd secured the 3.5GHz spectrum band auctioned by the NCC.

    Announcing the outcome of the auction, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta said the auction was won at $273,600,000 per lot.

    TNG reports the two lots auctioned by the NCC brings the total sum for the auction to $547,200,000 at the main stage of the exercise.

    Meanwhile, MTN made the highest bid of the sum of $15,900,000 at the assignment stage of the exercise to be assigned the preferred lot of lot one, while Mafab was assigned lot two at no extra cost.

    The NCC adopted the Ascending Clock Auction format for the main stage of the auction, which ended after round 11 before proceeding to the assignment stage.

    MTN, having made the highest offer at the assignment stage was given the right to select its most preferred Lot and it selected Lot 1 (3500-3600 MHz), while Lot 2 (3700-3800 MHz) is consequentially assigned to Mafab.

    TNG, meanwhile, reports Airtel as the third bidder fell off the exercise at the 11th round of the main stage of the auction.

  • BREAKING: Mafab Communications pays for 5G licence on deadline day

    BREAKING: Mafab Communications pays for 5G licence on deadline day

    Mafab Communications has finally paid for the 5G licence it won in a bid held by the Nigerian Communications Commission in December 2021.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports a source at Mafab, who asked not to be named, confirmed this on Friday.

    This is coming after the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NCC, Umar Danbatta had expressed anxiety over the delay in payment by Mafab.

    “We saw your report yesterday [Wednesday]. We have paid for the 5G licence. We beat the deadline. We are now looking ahead,” the source told TNG.

    Recall that the Federal Government had in December 2021 announced successful bidders for two 3.5GHz spectra of the 5G network licences for $547.2 million.

    MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications won the bidding and were given up till Thursday, 24th February 2022 to pay $273,600,000 each.

  • Anxiety as NCC awaits Mafab Communications to pay for 5G licence in 24 hours

    Anxiety as NCC awaits Mafab Communications to pay for 5G licence in 24 hours

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is currently waiting for Mafab Communications to make full payments for the 5G licence won by the little known telecoms firm.

    Recall that the Federal Government had in December 2021 announced successful bidders for two 3.5GHz spectra of the 5G network licences for $547.2 million.

    MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications won the bidding and were given up till Thursday, 24th February 2022 to pay $273,600,000 each.

    Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC had confirmed that MTN had paid fully for the licence while Mafab still has the grace to pay up.

    Speaking when he accompanied Prof. Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, to Lagos for a breakfast session with start-up digital innovation techs stakeholders on Tuesday, Danbatta said:

    “Two telecommunication companies won the bid for the 5G spectrum licences in December and were given two months within which to pay up.

    “So far, MTN has paid $273,600,000 while Mafab Communication has up to the Feb. 24 to pay. There is still time and we are optimistic,”.

    According to the EVC, there is a provision in the Information Memorandum that says “we need to give our preferred bidders up to two years to operate’’.

    However, he did not comment on what would likely happen if Mafab did not meet the payment deadline. Meanwhile, he added that there was also a provision that the waiting period could be reviewed.

    “I’m not saying the review is in the process as we talk. Not yet because we want to ensure that these two assigned licences have started operations and are okay.

    “Of course, we will give them time to see what plans they have because they need to start implementing their plan for expansion of infrastructure that will support these additional services.

    “Everything is on the table, meaning we have so far auctioned two slots. We have three more to go and nothing stops the NCC from assigning the remaining slots,” Danbatta said.

    TNG reports the Federal Government last week officially handed over the spectrum allocation for 5G deployment in the country to the NCC in Abuja.

    Danbatta revealed the NCC may roll out three additional 3.5GHz spectra licences for the Fifth Generation (5G) licences in the next two years, stressing that the rollout of the three licences would depend on the pace at which winners of the first two licences developed their respective spectrum.

    He, however, said that NCC was delaying to roll out the remaining slots “until after the two years specified or the government may say, look, cut down the years from two years to maybe one year’’.

    Danbatta also noted that the government could provide additional incentives to the two licensees.

    “This is so that together, we can be able to agree that there is a need for a reduction in the waiting time for a licence,” he said.