The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said the auction of the remaining 5G spectrum will take place as planned.
This is contained in a statement released on Wednesday by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka.
Recall that the NCC had in December 2022 auctioned the first two (2) lots of 3.5GHz spectrum for the deployment of 5G network across the country.
The Commission in response to requests for more spectrum lots to be made available had estimated a period of 24 months to clear all encumbrances in the remaining two (2) lots of the 3.5GHz band.
The Information Memorandum that guided the 2021 auction process stated the Commission’s intention to migrate incumbent users of the remaining portion of the C-band to free up Spectrum and make it available for the deployment of new services.
According to the statement, NCC has achieved the clearance earlier than the estimated 24 months, thus making the spectrum available for licensing.
The statement reads: “We, therefore, wish to reassure all stakeholders and investors, that the processes and schedule for the Auction of two (2) lots of 3.5GHz Spectrum will take place as planned.
“The final Information Memorandum for the Auction has been published on the Commission’s website. Interested applicants are advised to adhere to the requirements as specified in the Information Memorandum for participation in the Auction”.
Meanwhile, NCC in the statement insisted that spectrum licensing via Auction is one of the most transparent methods of assigning Spectrum resources globally.