By Ayo Fadimu
Airtel Africa, a telecommunications provider in 14 countries, says the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved the renewal of spectrum licenses in 900 and 1800 Megahertz (MHZ) for its subsidiary Airtel Nigeria.
Spectrums aare radio frequencies allocated to mobile industries and other sectors for communication over the airwaves.
The Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, Raghunath Mandava in a statement made available to Nigerian NewsDirect in Lagos, said the spectrum licenses were due to expire on Nov. 30.
He said that following the application, NCC subsequently offered Airtel Nigeria the opportunity to renew its spectrum licenses in 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for a period of 10 years with effect from Dec. 1, 2021, until Nov. 30, 2031, which the company accepted.
Mandava said that under the terms of the spectrum licenses, Airtel Nigeria had paid N 71.6 billion ($189m) in respect of the license renewal fees.
“I am pleased to announce that our application in Nigeria to renew our spectrum licenses in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for a 10-year period, has been approved by the NCC.
“This is our largest market and we remain focused on bridging the digital divide and expanding our broadband capability in the country.
“On behalf of Airtel Nigeria and the Group, I would like to thank both the government of Nigeria and the NCC for their cooperation and support in this important process,” he said.