MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has paid over N71.9 billion to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to renew its Unified Access Service (UAS) license and Spectrum license for wireless local loop in the 900MHz and 1800MHZ band.
This was disclosed by MTN Nigeria via a statement issued and signed by its Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, on Wednesday.
According to the company, the licenses, which expired on August 31, 2021, have now been renewed for a further ten-year period, starting on September 1, 2021.
What you should know
The regulator (NCC) acknowledged the receipt of the sum of N71.6 billion for the spectrum licence, and N374.6 million for the UAS licence in settlement of their invoices for the period 1st of September 2021 to 31 August, 2031.
The spectrum underpins MTN’s data network and telecom coverage in Africa’s biggest economy.
What MTN is saying:
The CEO of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola said: ‘’Renewing our licences for another ten years is very important to our business and enables us to continue to provide services to ensure the benefits of a modern connected life for our prople. MTN Nigeria is delighted with its strong partnership with the NCC and looks forward to working closely with the Commission, and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.’’
Back story
Recall that the NCC had earlier in August denied renewing the operating licence of MTN Nigeria. While it admitted that the telecommunications giant had applied for a renewal of its licence. It stated that the application is still undergoing required regulatory processes as at the time.