The national secretariat of the Nigerian Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA), yesterday confirmed more industry players that would participate in its 4th quarterly forum.
Those who joined the fray yesterday are are indigenous Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) giants, Zinox Technologies and leading broadband services provider, Spectranet Nigeria.
They will join the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), address the challenges of broadband, especially last mile connectivity, at the fourth quarter forum.
The forum, which is scheduled for Friday, December 14, 2018, at the CitiHeight Hotel, Opebi Link, Ikeja, Lagos, has as its theme: ‘Achieving Last Mile Connectivity Through Affordable Broadband.’
The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta is the keynote speaker at the event expected to draw the largest gathering of ICT industry players under one roof.
The forum will not only highlight the opportunities and challenges of deploying affordable broadband in Nigeria but will look at the strategies being adopted by the NCC to achieve this.
Experts say that achieving last mile connectivity in Nigeria requires a concerted effort among Government, Civil Society Organizations, Policy makers, mobile operators, service providers, the academia etc. It also requires a combination of solutions ranging from policies to technologies, transparency to regulations among others.
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.
Founded in 2001 by a team of ICT Technocrats led by serial entrepreneur, Mr. Leo Stan Ekeh, Zinox has flourished into one of the leading ICT Ecosystems in Africa with strong interests in Computer hardware manufacturing, distribution, Critical ICT solutions, Telecoms, and world-class After-Sales Support hence it is rated the No.1 Integrated ICT solutions Group in Africa.
Spectranet Nigeria on the other hand, was awarded a License by the Nigerian Communications Commission in 2009 to promote Internet services across Nigeria. Spectranet prides itself as the first Internet Service Provider to launch 4G LTE internet service in Nigeria and aims to be a leader in the Internet Services space.
NITRA, an umbrella body for journalists reporting information and communications technology in Nigeria, has in the last two years been engaging ICT stakeholders to brainstorm on various topical issues affecting the ICT industry in Nigeria through the Quarterly forum.