The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed issuance of final letters of award of Fifth Generation (5G) Spectrum licenses to MTN and Mafab Communications, winners of the 3.5 GHz spectrum auction conducted by the Commission late 2021.

The statement was confirmed by the Executive Vice Chairman Prof. Umar. Garba Danbatta at the commissions board special meeting recently, where the Board considered updates from the management of the status of the spectrum auction.

NCC’s Press statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs indicated that with the issuance of final letters of awards of 5G spectrum and in line with the Auction’s Information Memorandum (IM), the two licensees are now expected to accelerate deployment of 5G network to usher Nigeria into a more robust Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and a more digitised Nigerian economy.

In line with the terms and conditions of the 5G license, the licensees are expected to commence roll out of 5G services effective from August 24, 2022.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 is also expected to bring substantial network improvements, including higher connection speed, mobility and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities.

Following a transparent, diligent, fair and credible auction of 3.5GHz on December 13, 2021, the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), chaired by Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, had on February 22, 2022, officially handed over the spectrum allocation for 5G deployment as well as Federal Government-approved National Policy on 5G to the Commission. Subsequently the Commission, on February 24, 2022, confirmed the full payment of $273.6 million each by the two spectrum winners, in addition to spectrum assignment fee paid by MTN, for the 5G spectrum license.

The Commission was optimistic that effective implementation of the National Policy on 5G will accelerate the actualization of the national targets in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, as well as other sectoral policies designed to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation.

While the licensees are expected to meet the timetable regarding their 5G network rollout obligations, the NCC requires collective efforts and support of the private-sector and government toward transforming every aspect of the nation’s economy through 5G, which will herald greater transformation than what the nation witnessed with the 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed issuance of final letters of award of Fifth Generation (5G) Spectrum licenses to MTN and Mafab Communications, winners of the 3.5 GHz spectrum auction conducted by the Commission late 2021.

The statement was confirmed by the Executive Vice Chairman Prof. Umar. Garba Danbatta at the commissions board special meeting recently, where the Board considered updates from the management of the status of the spectrum auction.

NCC’s Press statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs indicated that with the issuance of final letters of awards of 5G spectrum and in line with the Auction’s Information Memorandum (IM), the two licensees are now expected to accelerate deployment of 5G network to usher Nigeria into a more robust Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and a more digitised Nigerian economy.

In line with the terms and conditions of the 5G license, the licensees are expected to commence roll out of 5G services effective from August 24, 2022.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 is also expected to bring substantial network improvements, including higher connection speed, mobility and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities.

Following a transparent, diligent, fair and credible auction of 3.5GHz on December 13, 2021, the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), chaired by Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, had on February 22, 2022, officially handed over the spectrum allocation for 5G deployment as well as Federal Government-approved National Policy on 5G to the Commission. Subsequently the Commission, on February 24, 2022, confirmed the full payment of $273.6 million each by the two spectrum winners, in addition to spectrum assignment fee paid by MTN, for the 5G spectrum license.

The Commission was optimistic that effective implementation of the National Policy on 5G will accelerate the actualization of the national targets in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, as well as other sectoral policies designed to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation.

While the licensees are expected to meet the timetable regarding their 5G network rollout obligations, the NCC requires collective efforts and support of the private-sector and government toward transforming every aspect of the nation’s economy through 5G, which will herald greater transformation than what the nation witnessed with the 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G.