The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has assured that the government is working hard by embarking on necessary regulatory measures that will help to actualize the 70 percent broadband targets as contained in the national broadband policy in the next five years.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta gave the assurance while speaking at an engagement forum with relevant industry players and agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to discuss ways for achieving accelerated implementation of the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025.
“As the telecom regulator, we have embarked on necessary regulatory measures to actualize the targets in the national broadband policy,” he declared.
He added that the Commission is seeking collaborative action for the implementation of the plan, stressing that the Commission will continue to facilitate necessary regulatory measures for the deployment of fibre infrastructure to all parts of the country, which is crucial for pervasive broadband penetration that we are all working to achieve.
According to Prof. Danbatta, the industry has made some progress with 54,724, kilometer of fibre so far deployed across the country, noting that spirited efforts are being made by the Commission not only to increase this milestone in fibre infrastructure but also ensure their maximum protection by working with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to stem the spate of infrastructure vandalism.
Earlier, the Minsiter of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami harped on the harped on the need for collaboration between the public and private stakeholders to achieve the national target of 70 per cent broadband penetration, as provided in the Nigeria National Broadband Plan.
“So far, the journey for broadband penetration in Nigeria has been quite commendable and with the steady growth we are making, we are hopeful that our digital economy drive will be actualized. It is, however, important to bear in mind that broadband penetration, access to smartphones, development of digital identity ecosystem and biometric verification of bank accounts, are four key elements that can drive the digital economy,” he said.
While asking the industry stakeholders who participated at the forum physically and virtually to come up with ideas on areas where attention should be given by the government to accelerate broadband penetration, the Minister talked about various ongoing policy initiatives aimed at creating an enabling environment for industry players towards pervasive deployment of broadband infrastructure.
He added that the success of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) is also contingent on effective implementation of the broadband plan.