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Fri, Mar

NCC Sets New Spectrum Levy For Telecom Operators, Plans To Roll Out 5G Technology

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The Nigerian Communications Commission has launched an annual operating regulatory levy to ensure that all licensees are properly assessed towards regulatory expectations and standards. The Commission further added that the Federal Government is set to begin the roll-out of fifth-generation (5G) services across the country. Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, made the announcement on Friday at a public inquiry on two regulatory instruments necessary for the deployment of the technology.

He noted that the two key regulatory instruments which were tailored to meet the challenges and to further strengthen the market structure of the industry are the Annual Operating Regulations and the Frequency Spectrum Regulations, which fees and pricing fall under.

Professor Danbatta further explained that the commission has submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy and is awaiting approval from the Federal Government to roll out the services. He also added that the NCC started the Fifth Generation (5G) technology in Nigeria after signing an MOU with the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) in May.

5G technology is largely dependent on the appropriate frequency spectrum which raises the need for attendant secondary reliance on different approaches to maximise frequency spectrum. With all this in place, NCC and NIGCOMSAT agreed on the use of C-Band Spectrum for 5G services in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners at the NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande, noted that from the last quarter of 2019, several administrations have begun to license spectrum for commercial deployment of 5G. He continued by stating that 5G services have already been deployed in the United States and South Korea among many more countries in the world.

Professor Adeolu Akande further added that 5G does not only offer enhanced broadband and ultra-reliable latency communications but also provides massive machine-type communications where a lot of devices will seamlessly connect and independently interact with the internet without human intervention.

Director, Legal and Regulatory Services of the Commission, Ms Josephine Amuwa, in relation to the annual levy said the Annual Operating Levy Regulations review will look at the current licencing structure and ensure that all the spectra of licensees will be properly covered.

“On the other hand, the review of the second regulation, the Frequency Spectrum (Fees and Pricing) Regulations is expected to provide more guidelines on the parameter for determination of proper fees and pricing of spectrum,” she said.

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