Business
Mobile Broadband Better For Private Sector Participation -NCC
The Nigerian communications commission (NCC) says that Mobile Broadband is economically cost effective and encourageS private sector participation better than fixed broadband.
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, NCC Mr Sunday Dare said this during an interactive session with the Nigerian information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in Abuja.
Dare said the National Broadband Plan had both mobile and fixed components, saying that NCC was exerting action in both directions.
He, however, said that the NCC was more inclined to mobile broadband because of its benefits and cost effectiveness.
According to him, fixed broadband requires you to lay cables. To do that, you need right of way (RoW) Permits, which are controlled by state governments.
“For many years, the industry has been battling with the issue of inordinately high charges for RoW, long delays in granting permits, destruction of fibre cables during road construction, and incessant stop work orders among other disadvantages.
“A former minister once said that over 50 per cent of the costs of fibre deployments go to payment of taxes and charges and the situation only gets worse.
“With this kind of environment, the private sector is not incentivised to invest,” Dare said.
The commissioner said the NCC had constantly engaged state governors through the National Economic Council and the Governors Forum in order to overcome these challenges.
He said the NCC had also stepped in directly by licencing Infrastructure Companies (infrasCos) to provide fibre bandwidth on an open access based.
Dare disclosed that the commission was providing the infrasCos an output subsidy to mitigate costs, which he said would bear fruit soon.
He, however, said that the support of the state governors was critical and hoped that they would see the merit and long term benefits of making their states receptive to telecoms infrastructure.
Speaking of the readiness of the country to adopt the 5G technology, Dare said the NCC had been preparing the country for it by bringing together critical stakeholders to examine the legal, regulatory and technology issues.
“We have opened up consultations on spectrum for drones, etc. We are proactively leading discussions on the development of new technologies.
“This does not mean that we are going to discard the 2G, 3G or 4G, each one of the these levels of technologies has its benefits and the fact remains that you have to move from one level to the other.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.