NCC extends deadline for submission of spectrum bids

By Ibiyemi Mathew

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced the extending of the deadline for the submission of bids and initial bid deposit for the auction of the 3.5GHz spectrum.

In a press statement signed by the commission’s Director of Public affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, the commission noted that the extension is premised on the challenges posed to air travels as witnessed recently and considering that it may have some impact on intending bidders regarding the submission of their bids.

The commission thus announced the a new date for the deadline for submission of bids and Initial Bid Deposits (IBDs) to 5.00 pm on Monday, 29th November, 2021 from the earlier scheduled Wednesday, 24th November 2021.

Earlier, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) officially declared that the auction of the 3.5 Gigahertz (3.5 GHz) spectrum for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology in Nigeria, will take place on December 13, 2021.

According to the Information Memorandum (IM) presented by the Commission at a stakeholder engagement forum organised on 5G spectrum in Lagos recently, NCC is adopting Ascending Clock Auction format, which is software-based while a mock auction has been slated for December 10, 2021, as a precursor to the actual auction on December 13, 2021.

The IM provides information, conditions, obligations, financial implication, timelines and other necessary details on the planned 3.5Ghz spectrum auction.

The IM also explains the rollout obligations of the would-be eventual winners of the spectrum licence auction, whose reserved price has been pegged at $197.4 million (N75 billion).

According to the IM, the auction comes with a 10-year spectrum licence and a minimum requirement of an operational Universal Access Service Licence (UASL). However, new entrants or licensees without a UASL will be required to obtain a UASL operational license to be qualified for the 5G licence.