In line with the terms and conditions of the 5G licence, the
licensees are expected to commence rollout of 5G services, effective from
August 24, this year.
Speaking in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer, MTN
Communications Nigeria (MTN Nigeria) Plc, Mr. Karl Toriola said: “We are ready.
We won the licence through a transparent auction process and we congratulate
the NCC on this. We paid the full
licence fee a month ahead of schedule. Within the information memorandum of the
NCC issued, there was a timeline which indicated that we can launch in H2.
We are prepared to launch on the day the IM allows us to do
so and we will explore with the NCC if they allow …So we are ready, even before
that timeline.”
Recall that MTN and Mafab Communication Ltd had won the two
slots put on offer during the auction that had $197.4million as reserve price.
As part of the auction process put in place by the
Commission in the IM, the two winners and Airtel Networks Ltd had submitted
bids with an initial bid deposit (IBD) of $19.74 million, representing 10 per
cent of the Reserve Price of the 3.5GHz spectrum by the close of the bid
submission date of November 29 last year.
MTN and Mafab were required to pay the balance of the bid
price of $253.86 million on or before February 24, 2022. While MTN beat the
deadline, Mafab paid at the expiration of the deadline.
The NCC had issued the final letters of awards of 5G
spectrum and in line with the 5G auction’s Information Memorandum (IM), the two
licensees are now expected to accelerate deployment of 5G network that will
usher Nigeria into a more robust Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and a more
digitised Nigerian economy among the comity of nations.
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, last year, the National Frequency Management Council
(NFMC), chaired by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital
Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, 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
licence.
The Commission is optimistic that effective implementation
of the National Policy on 5G will accelerate the actualisation 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.