The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta has been scheduled to give the keynote address at the Fourth and last in the series of this year’s Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) Quarterly Forum.
The Forum with the theme “Achieving Last Mile Connectivity Through Affordable Broadband,” is expected to address broadband challenges, especially last mile connectivity, which industry watchers argue has remained a setback in the country’s broadband penetration quest.
The Forum is billed for December 14, 2018, at the CitiHeight Hotel, Opebi Link, Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement in Lagos signed by the Chairman of NITRA, Mr. Emmanuel Okonji, the forum will not only highlight the opportunities and challenges of deploying affordable broadband in Nigeria but will also look at the strategies being adopted by the NCC towards addressing the challenge.
The Forum is been organized in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).
Experts argue that in order to address Nigeria’s last mile connectivity, it’s important that the Government creates incentives that would encourage telcos to invest in connectivity in rural areas and other less profitable regions.
Achieving last mile connectivity in Nigeria, therefore, requires a concerted effort among Government, Civil Society Organizations, Policy makers, mobile operators, service providers, academia etc. It also requires a combination of solutions ranging from policies to technologies, transparency to regulations etc.
Recall that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had in 2016, rolled out an 8-point agenda aimed at broadband access and penetration. Through the agenda, the NCC hopes to promote deployment of universally available, fast and reliable network infrastructure that will stimulate seamless broadband penetration to drive technology innovation and overall productivity of Nigeria’s economy.
The Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) is an umbrella body for journalists reporting information and communications technology in Nigeria. In the last two years, NITRA has through the Quarterly forum engaged ICT stakeholders to brainstorm on various topical issues affecting the ICT industry in Nigeria.