Telecom
2.3Ghz Auction Rings Debate
The 2.3GHz frequency band evokes so much emotion each time it is mentioned and it did live up to its controversial nature as divergent views greeted the planned licensing of the remaining slot on the frequency band most commonly used for broadband wireless commercial service delivery.
The 2.3GHz frequency band is considered very important in the race leading up to broadband revolution because it helps operators provide mobile services that are potentially much more transformative than any lone technological item and it is the next cash cow for financially haemorrhaging telcos.
At stakeholders’ forum on the best option for licensing the remaining slot on the 2.3GHz yesterday, major internet service providers in the country, rejected the plan by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to auction the 2.3GHz frequency band on which they operate.
They said that licensing another operator on 2.3GHz will not be in the interest of the country.
NCC had already licensed part of the 2.3 GHz frequency band (TDD) in slots of 20 Mhz per operator to three operators- Mobitel, Spectranet and Multi-Links.
Swift Networks on the other hand is a licensed Fixed Wireless Operator operating in the 3.5GHZ frequency Spectrum.
Atul Ojiha, chief operating officer, Spectranet in a paper presented on behalf of Mobitel, Spectratnet and DoPC, advised NCC to allot 10MHz extra each to the three existing operators that had expressed willingness to negotiate and pay for the additional spectrum frequency.
The remaining 10MHz, he said, should be used as guard bands to stop interference (a major technical issue significantly impairing delivery of efficient broadband services) among the three operators.
The absence of guard bands among existing operators in the 2.3GHz band, according to Ojiha, has been the cause of inter-operator interference and inter-system interference with other services on the 2.3GHz band.
The direct consequence of this, he said, was compromise quality of service, leading to poor customer experience as well as low adoption and, by extension, low revenue for operators.
Additional spectrum, according to Ojiha, will provide the affected operators with the needed capacity to deliver efficient and affordable broadband services to consumers.
This, he stressed, would further assist in deepening Internet penetration in the country.
“There is negligible non-existent fixed wire line infrastructure in the country. It’s not viable to build a wire line network due to the exorbitant cost of Right of Way and other bottlenecks; international bandwidth cost is very high in comparison to other parts of the world,” he said.
Nodding in agreement, Charles Anudu, managing director of Swift Networks said though the affected operators were Swift Networks’ competitors, the case on ground required that he should support them.
Anudu, said that rather than complicating the challenges among ISPs by licensing a fourth operator on the 2.3GHz, the NCC should allocate the 30MHz of the remaining slot to the three existing operators.
“Our regulator should not multiply the misery in the segment of the IT industry. We cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. The more we continue to fragment the segment, the more miserable we will become,” he said.
According to him, no ISP in the country is currently offering real broadband experience to its customers due to inadequate spectrum.
“The reasons many ISPs cannot expand to other parts of the country is because they are hardly financially viable. This includes Swift Networks too. If they say they need 30GHz to expand their services, why not give it to them,” Audu said.
Mr. Johnson Salako, chief executive officer, Mobitel, warned that if the NCC auctioned the additional slot on the band to a new operator, it would compound the problems of the current operators.
He said, “The 2,3GHz spectrum is not the only spectrum that can be used for broadband service. The NCC has said it will be licensing the 2.5GHz spectrum, which means that there are huge opportunities for anybody who requires spectrum.”
According to Salako, limited spectrum restricts operators’ ability to migrate from the current WiMax-based technology, which is being phased out globally, further impairs the development of the sector.
He explained that newer technologies with ability to provide cheaper and more efficient broadband access depended heavily on adequate and dedicated spectrum.
The implication of auctioning the remaining slot on the 2.3GHz band to a new operator, according to the Mobitel boss, is that the three existing operators will remain stuck on the 20MHz and face the risk of being enmeshed in technology lock out.
Dr. Eugene Juwah, executive vice-chairman, NCC, said the forum was in line with the commission’s policy of participatory regulation among other things.
Juwah, who was represented by Okechukwu Itanyi , NCC’s executive commissioner , Stakeholder Management said that the objective was to provide an avenue for stakeholders and users of the 2.3 GHz band to discuss, criticise, exchange ideas and proffer options that would help the NCC in arriving at a decision on the further licensing of the remaining 40 MHz bandwidth in the band for the benefit of all Nigerians.
He said, “With global development centred on availability of broadband services, the commission is on a regular basis inundated with several requests for frequencies to deliver the services. This has posed severe challenges as the frequencies sought for are scarce.
“In no distant future, the industry predicts the development and indeed deployment of more spectral efficient technologies that would be able to deliver more with less frequency spectrum and also improve on interference mitigation techniques available for a harmonious and interference free coexistence.”
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that Nigeria’s internet usage reached a record 1.24 million terabytes in November 2025.
According to the latest data from the NCC, the figure rose modestly from 1.235 million terabytes in October, reflecting steady growth in digital activity across the country.
Broadband penetration in Nigeria crossed the halfway mark in November 2025, reaching 50.58 per cent, up from 45.61 per cent in January, the telecoms regulator reported.
The figure, however, falls short of the 70 per cent coverage target outlined in the National Broadband Plan 2020–2025, which expires this month.
The country had roughly 109 million broadband subscriptions by November. Growth has been uneven, hindered by infrastructure and regulatory constraints, including frequent fibre-optic vandalism that triggers 30 to 43 network cuts daily, high right-of-way fees, and declining subscriber numbers earlier in the year.
Expansion of mobile networks, particularly 3G and 4G services, alongside limited 5G rollouts in urban centres, affordable smartphones, and competitive data plans, has driven uptake.
Investments in the National Communications Backbone and private-sector initiatives have also improved access, especially in underserved areas.
While Nigeria is gradually improving digital inclusion, achieving the original broadband plan remains challenging due to high infrastructure costs, coverage limitations, and deployment hurdles.
The NCC maintains that continued investment in mobile networks and broadband infrastructure will sustain gradual growth in the sector.
Commenting on the development, some Nigerian analysts attributed the surge to the broader mobile and broadband adoption and the growing appetite for streaming, online learning and other digital services.
According to the analysts, the figures suggest that internet connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity for both business and leisure, underscoring the slow but steady expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy.
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.
L-R: Head Special Projects, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Salamatu Andu; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Engr. Abaraham Oshadame; Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Head Customer Support Service, Galaxy Backbone, Rosemary Ehize; Secretary to the ES. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Tahir Aminu at the BPSR award ceremony for top four MDAs in BPSR Website Performance and Ranking 2025 at the BPSR office on Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
This is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.
In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.
BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure.
Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.
The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).
The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”
While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.
According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.
Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.
“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.
The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.
Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has dismissed reports that bank accounts not linked to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) will be frozen or automatically debited from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele
Oyedele described the claims as false and misleading, warning Nigerians against panic over misinformation surrounding recent tax and financial reforms.
In a post on his X handle Tuesday morning, he wrote: “Don’t let anyone manipulate you. Your bank account is safe. Misinformation makes you panic and fear a reform that is designed to help you.
“When they tell you that your account will be frozen or automatically debited from January 2026, ask them for the evidence in the new law. Be wise.”
He stressed that no provision in the new tax laws authorises the freezing of bank accounts, adding that the rumours are part of widespread misrepresentation of the reforms.
The committee chairman reiterated that the reforms are intended to simplify Nigeria’s tax system and ease the burden on ordinary citizens, not to impose punitive measures on bank customers.
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