NCC targets 50% broadband penetration by EoY 2023

…begins licensing of MVNOs

By Ibiyemi Mathew with agency report

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that it is targeting over 50 per cent broadband penetration by the End of year (EoY) 2023.

Speaking at the NCC stakeholders’ consultative forum in Bayelsa,  Danbatta, the Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO, Prof. Umar Garba, of the Commission said the NCC is providing industry leadership to facilitate the achievement of 90 per cent Broadband penetration by year 2025, and well above 50 per cent at the end of 2023.

In line with this goal, Danbatta also disclosed that the Commission is currently reviewing the scope and structure of its existing licenses to make them more robust and to accommodate some of the identified new industry trends.

Commenting on the relevance of the licensing of MVNOs, the Director of Licensing and Authorization of the Commission, Mr Mohammed Babajika added said the licensing of MVNOs will improve the telecommunication output of the country, enable the expansion and availability of quality mobile coverage and close the gap to the unserved and underserved population in Nigeria.

The Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management of the Commission, Barr Leke Adewolu, encouraged new market entrants in the MVNOs category to leverage on the growth and infrastructure in the telecommunications industry.

He noted that the market is particularly attractive to investors due to its low cost of entry in terms of capital expenditure.

As at May 2023, Nigeria’s broadband penetration stood at 48.21 per cent with the country aiming for 70 per cent penetration by 2025.