The Federal Government has officially handed over the spectrum allocation for Fifth Generation (5G) deployment in the country to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
This was disclosed in a statement by the NCC signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde its Director of Public Affairs on Friday.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, presented the official document on the 3.5GHz spectrum allocation to the Commission.
What they are saying about the handover
NCC stated that the 5G spectrum allocation document was received by the Chairman, NCC Board of Commissioners, Prof. Adeolu Akande, and the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, on behalf of the Commission.
Pantami who also functions as the Chairman, National Frequency Management Council (NFMC)commended the NCC’s leadership for ‘a transparent, fair and credible 3.5GHz spectrum auction’ conducted on December 13, 2021.
He added that the NFMC 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 assign same to the winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction.
“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 technology will bring substantial network improvements, including higher connection speed, mobility and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities,” he stated
NCC Chairman, Akande said the effective implementation of the National Policy on 5G, 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.
EVC of NCC, Danbatta, said, “We have been meticulous all the way in our 5G deployment journey, from trial across selected states in the country, to review and stakeholder engagement, to approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), to the 3.5GHz spectrum auction, and up to the official launch of the national policy on 5G network by the President.
“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.”
What you should know
Recall Nairametrics reported earlier this month that MTN Nigeria has paid the 5G license fee ahead of the February 24 deadline issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
MTN was the highest bidder at the auction followed by Mafab communications limited. While Mafab added $11,120,000 million while bidding, MTN Nigeria added $15,900,000.
