Conscious of the fact that the services and technologies that will characterize Fourth Industrial Revolution, will ride on a robust telecommunication infrastructure, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called on all stakeholders in the private and public sector to support the country deployment of a pervasive broadband network.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta made the call yesterday during the Fourth edition of the Information Communication Technology & Telecommunications (ICTEL) Exhibiion, organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos.
According to Danbatta, though, the telecom regulator is working tirelessly to collaborate with necessary stakeholders across different levels of government towards removing impediments to telecoms investment in Nigeria, increased support and collaboration from government authorities are still required.
“As Nigeria’s telecom regulator, we are aware that the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be largely driven by telecom infrastructure. We therefore seek support from from government authorities to complement existing infrastructure to provide the enabling environment for telecoms investment to thrive beyond its current over $70 billion investment profiles,” Danbatta, who was represented by Ismail Adedigba, Head, Information & Reference, Consumer Affairs Bureau at NCC at the two-day event said.
Asked what the Commission is doing in this regards, Danbatta disclosed that NCC is also ensuring that there is the efficient allocation of spectrum resources through re-planning and opening up of some spectrum bands as well as development of a framework for the utilization of unused broadcast spectrum known as television white space (TVWS) for the provision of affordable broadband services in the rural, underserved and unserved areas of the country.
He added that through effective regulatory oversight, which the Commission is known for, it is ensuring that all new sites to be built by the mobile network operators (MNOs) are Long Term Evolution (LTE)-compatible.