5G spectrum license will not be issued to operators who underutilize it — NCC EVC
By Ibiyemi Mathew
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) , Professor Umar Garba Danbatta has reiterated that the commission won’t auction 5G licenses to operators who will underutilize the service.
The EVC of the NCC, disclosed this to journalists on the sidelines of the Stakeholders Forum on the draft information memorandum on 3.5Ghz spectrum auction held in Lagos.
According to the EVC, spectrum is a important natural resource held in trust by the government for the Nigerian people and must be utilized optimally for the good of Nigerians.
The stakeholders Forum according to the EVC is in tandem with the Commission’s strategy of consulting with stakeholders in carrying out its regulatory functions.
“As a world class communications regulatory agency, we believe that our actions must be guided by decisions that take into cognizance the input from stakeholders in the industry.
“In line with our Strategic Vision (Implementation) Plan 2021 2025, which among other things, seeks to promote fair competition, inclusive growth, increased investment and innovative services, and also facilitate strategic collaboration and partnership, we intend to further deepen broadband penetration and encourage fair competition in the rollout of 5G services in Nigeria by auctioning the available lots in the 3.5GHz Spectrum band.
“This is the reason why we have invited our stakeholders to elicit comments on the draft Information Memorandum (IM) for the upcoming auction,” the EVC said.
In furtherance of this, the Commission has developed a draft Information Memorandum (IM) to support the attainment of this objective through an Auction Process.
The NCC is offering the remaining lots of 2 x 100MHz in the 3.5GHz spectrum band to support 5G deployment in Nigeria.
Earlier in December 2021, the commission had conducted an auction of 2 slots on the 3.5Ghz band where MTN and MAFAB communications emerged winners.
Commenting on the delay in rollout by Mafab Communications, the second winner of the previous 5G auction conducted in Abuja last year, the EVC noted that the Commission is aware of the challenges being encountered by the operators.
He noted that the operator as a new entrant needed to acquire an operational license to operate and that occasioned the delay in the rollout.
The EVC noted that the Commission in her regulatory diplomacy had approved the licenses MAFAB applied for and also the extension of time for rollout for 5G services by the operator.
He said MAFAB is expected to rollout 5G services between January – February next year and failure to rollout will be followed by strict regulatory penalty.
He added that the extension time given to MAFAB will no longer be extended if they fail to rollout as planned.
