By Adewole Kehinde.
A faster broadband connection helps in making the workforce more flexible from home or office. It automatically increases productivity, enables greater employee satisfaction, reduces travel costs, and saves money in the long term. It makes the entire process super-fast and smooth.
Broadband is actually a high-speed internet connection for enjoying everything the internet offers. It is a permanent internet connection. It brings an internet signal to and from a device through a traditional telephone line. Previously, it was using a dial-up connection and was not able to deliver the speed we are presently enjoying. Copper and fiber are the common home broadband options for fixed-line.
ISP: An Internet Service Provider provides customers with the necessary devices and equipment to enter the digital world. Some internet service providers have their own infrastructure. But this way is expensive and complicated. The majority of broadband services are delivered to homes via fixed-line connections. This setting manages a wide range of frequencies, which is why it is called “broadband.” You can connect to the internet without Ethernet by just buying the right little adapter. It quickly adds Wi-Fi to any desktop.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is irrevocably committed to the implementation of various regulatory initiatives and programs, in collaboration with all stakeholders in the telecom ecosystem, towards bridging identified gaps and shortages in critical telecom infrastructure in the country.
The overarching objective is to fulfill the Commission’s mandate and support extant and emergent policies and strategies of the Federal Government focused on providing ubiquitous, accessible, and affordable broadband services in Nigeria.
No wonder the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, emphasized the centrality of infrastructure to telecom service provisioning by asserting that the availability of broadband insufficiency was non-negotiable and irreducible in the nation’s strategy toward delivering pervasive telecom services.
The EVC also put the efforts of the government in context towards addressing infrastructure gaps and commended both state and non-state actors for their vision, diligence, and continued dedication to the implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020–2025, an initiative of the Federal Government being driven by NCC and conceived to address infrastructure gaps in the telecom and ICT sector.
Danbatta said he was gratified that the new plan particularly took into consideration, the identified gaps and challenges in its precursor, the National Broadband Plan 2013-2018, to which the implementation of the NCC was equally central.
According to him, one of the identified gaps in robust connectivity was the fact that inadequate infrastructure remained a bane to achieving the desired broadband penetration to boost access to services that would enhance economic growth and development.
He emphasized that the Commission recognizes the importance of infrastructure expansion and this explains its unequivocal commitment and desire to see the licensed infrastructure companies (InfraCos) work speedily and with precision to cascade fibre to the hinterland in order to enhance robust telecom service provision.
He said the InfraCo licensees, expectedly, also prioritize stipulated licensing conditions to ensure expected milestones set by the Commission are achieved.
The Executive Vice Chairman stated that Commission’s target for licensing the infraCos was to ensure the deployment of fibre infrastructure needed for pervasive broadband penetration across the 774 local government areas (LGAs). This, he said, will ensure access to telecoms services in the hinterlands of the country, and by so doing address the challenges of access confronting the unserved and underserved areas of the country.
One visible area of beneficial financial service riding on telecom infrastructure is the provision of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) for financial transactions across various financial institutions’ platforms.
This feat, Danbatta asserted, has brought ease to financial transactions, even as he recalled that NCC is providing support for e-payment initiatives and policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), including the e-Naira project, which is the digital currency issued and regulated by the apex bank.
Additionally, Danbatta stated that the Commission has recorded remarkable progression with respect to contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is besides facilitating investment, enhancing Quality of Service (QoS) to enhance consumer quality of experience and stakeholder satisfaction in line with the expectations of the Strategic Management Plan 2020-2024. He assured that Commission will heightened efforts in all areas of the Plan as streamlined in new Strategic Vision Implementation Plan (SVIP) 2021-2025, including facilitating strategic collaboration and partnering through which it has forged quantifiable strategic alliances with its ever-expanding array of stakeholders
Highlight some of the pivotal initiatives achieved by the NCC under the Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta include:
1. Presidential approval for the National Policy on Fifth Generation Networks (5G) in Nigeria through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. This has provided the NCC with a framework for the safe and efficient deployment of the latest access technologies in Nigeria.
2. Following the Presidential approval of the 5G Policy, the NCC has developed a 5G deployment plan for Nigeria’s Digital economy.
3. The World Radio-Communications Conference (WRC-19) recently harmonized 5G spectrum bands – such as the 26GHz, 38GHz and 42GHz bands. The Commission is currently updating the National Frequency Allocation Table (NFAT) for more efficient spectrum allocation and usage to reflect WRC-19 recommendations. We are also opening up some new spectrum bands for utilization, such as the 60GHz V-band and the 70/80GHz E-band for both point-to-point and point-to-multi-points deployments.
4. Working in collaboration with the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to ensure that the 700MHz and 2.6GHz bands are completely cleared of any encumbrances so that they can be assigned to Operators for their broadband deployments.
5. Granted approval to the Proof-of-Concept (PoC) and Non-Commercial 5G trial in the 3.5 and 26GHz bands to MTN Communications PLC and Airtel.
6. Issued the Spectrum Trading Guidelines to enable Operators transfer, lease or share spectrum resources. Two Spectrum bands have been successfully traded, i.e. the transfer of 2 x 10MHz in the 900MHz Extended GSM Band from Intercellular to Airtel, and 2 x 10MHz in the 800MHz band from Intercellular to MTN.
7. Recently concluded the development of Guidelines on TV White Space (TVWS) for the deployment of broadband services in the country.
8. Created a Satellite Unit within the Technical Standards and Network Integrity Department for the regularization of the activities of Satellite Operators in Nigeria (including Space Station Operators and Earth Station Operators).
These and other activities of the NCC are geared towards ensuring accessibility to efficient and affordable network infrastructure to power e-Government and other Digital Economy initiatives throughout Nigeria.
They also underscore our commitment to ensure the achievement of the Federal Government’s socio-economic development initiatives whilst providing a conducive atmosphere for attracting requisite investments into the sector.
Adewole Kehinde is the Publisher of Swift Reporters. He can be reached via kennyadewole@gmail.com 08166240846
