NCC Fixes Dec 13 As Final Auction Date For 3.5 GHz

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has slated December 13 as the final auction date for the 3.5 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum for the deployment of the fifth generation (5G) technology in Nigeria.
The deployment of 5G is expected to happen in Quarter 1 of next year, according to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
The deadline for submission of bids and Initial Bid Deposits (IBDs) closed yesterday at 5pm.
A terse statement by the commission titled “Second Trial of 5G in Nigeria in order to validate the National Policy on 5G for Digital Economy” said, “The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is to supervise the 2nd 5G PoC trial in Nigeria. This trial will be conducted by Airtel Networks Limited and its Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on Thursday, December 2, 2021”.
The statement urged concerned parties to contact Spectrum Administration Department for further details.
It would be recalled that the NCC had extended the submission of bids for the 5G technology spectrum from November 24 to November 29 due to challenges posed to air travels.
The commission said in a statement by its Director of Public Affairs,  DrIkechukwuAdinde, that the extension was due to challenges posed by air travels in recent times.
The submission of responses in respect of the 3.5 gigahertz (Gigahertz) Spectrum Band auction was scheduled to close November 24, 2021, it said.
“However, due to the challenges posed to air travels as witnessed recently and considering that it may have some impact on intending bidders regarding the submission of their bids, the commission hereby extends the deadline for submission of bids and Initial Bid Deposits (IBDs) to 5.00 pm on Monday,  November 29, 2021”, NCC explained.
It said all other events as scheduled in the Information Memorandum remain unchanged.
MTN Nigeria was the first in West Africa to try 5G technology and applications. It was a product of a strong collaboration between the Ministry of Communications Technology and Digital Economy, NCC, MTN and Huawei (Abuja), ZTE (Calabar) and Ericsson (Lagos).

By: King Onunwor