Telecom
ATCON Shows Concerns, Pushes for Secondary & Free Spectrum Market
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has expressed deep concern about how the frequency spectrum is being managed in Nigeria.
In a speech presented during a visit to management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja on Thursday, Engineer Lanre Ajayi, president of ATCON, said that while the members are delight over the positive development in our industry, which has been identified as the fastestest growing sector of the Nigerian economy, the association has some concerns.
ICT industry presently contributes more 8% to the nation GDP.
Ajayi who acknowledged that the success is not without the professional way the NCC has been regulating the industry, thanked the Commission for being steadfast and being professional.
“and we particularly thank the new management of NCC for sustaining the tradition of excellence in the organisation”.
However, the ATCON president said that inspite of these positive developments, they would like to express a deep concern about how the frequency spectrum is being managed in Nigeria, not only by NCC but by other entities concerned with frequency managemnet, including the National Frequency Management Board (NFMB).
He said, “We expected the NFMB to proactively discharge its responsibility. But that seems not to be the case in its handling of 700 MHZ recently sold by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to MTN. It was expected that when frequencies that were previously allocated to an agency of Government is no longer of relevance to that agency and such frequency has been freed, we expect an immediate re-allocation of such frequencies to other appropriate Government agencies for assingning to deserving operators.
“If such measure had been taken the mess that is being reported in the sale of the spectrum would have been avoided. We are also disturbed that NCC has not been able to assign spectrum to operators for a long while. Past attempts to assign 2,6 Ghz have failed”.
To this end, the Association pushes for secondary spectrum market.
He said that ATCON holds the opinion that the Nigerian market is matured enough to have a secondary spectrum market.
“Presently, there is large number of idle spectrums in custody of some operators while numerous investors are yearning for spectrum to roll out services. Since it takes a lot of hurdles to retrieve such spectrum from the owners, it makes sense to allow such owners sell to new buyers who may have a need for the spectrum.
“These will benfit everyone concerned. It benefits the seller, who may have challlenges in rolling out after the acqusition of the spectrum. It benefits the buyer who now have spectrum to roll out services. It benefits the consumer who are now able to obtain services, it benefit Government who can take in more taxes.
“However, participation at secondary market should be limited to those who obtained spectrum through competetive bidding, like auction, to avoid a scenario where people use their contact to obtain spectrum from Government and sell in the secondary market.
On Free spectrum, he said, “As a strategy to attract small operators to unserved and underserved areas, we would like to recommend to NCC to make available some spectrum to operators for free. Big operators are mostly focused on commercial and very productive population centers.
“Small operators can easily mobilise to service small communities if appropriate incentives are given. Some countries in the world, including the United States, give unlicensed or lite licensed frequecies to operators to attract them to underserved or unserved communities and we would like to recommend this to NCC”.
Ajayi said that this will not only ensure provision of services in those communities but also serve as a great opportunities to create jobs in the communities.
Spacecoin, US-based, has announced the signing of recent agreements with local authorities and operators to launch satellite connectivity pilot projects in Africa.
The initiatives, focused on Kenya and Nigeria, aim to serve areas where terrestrial networks remain limited or unavailable.
n Kenya, Spacecoin has obtained a transmission license from the Communications Authority, allowing it to test satellite-based solutions for connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas with limited internet access.
According to the Kenyan regulator, internet penetration remains below 50% of the population, despite mobile penetration exceeding 130%.
In parallel, the company is continuing operations in Nigeria under an existing license issued by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
This authorization supports initiatives aimed at delivering affordable broadband connectivity to isolated and underserved communities.
Spacecoin’s approach is based on a decentralized satellite network using nanosatellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Combined with blockchain-based protocols, this architecture is intended to offer more flexible and cost-effective connectivity services than traditional networks, while also enabling the integration of IoT solutions for a range of uses, from smart agriculture to infrastructure monitoring.
These projects are part of a broader strategy to help narrow Africa’s digital divide, where a significant share of the population still lacks access to reliable internet services.
Satellite technology is increasingly viewed as a complement to terrestrial infrastructure, particularly in hard-to-reach areas where deployment costs and geographic constraints remain high.
Beyond Africa, Spacecoin is also running pilot projects in Asia, working with local partners to test the viability of its model across different regulatory and geographic environments.
According to the company’s management, growing interest from regulators reflects a shift toward solutions capable of reaching populations that have long been excluded from internet access.
AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, today announces the appointment of Khaled Salah, 37 years old, as Vice President of Africa.
Khaled Salah
In this new role, he will be responsible for about 30 employees to ensure the successful implementation of AVEVA’s growth strategy. Khaled Salah will report directly to Jesus Hernandez, SVP of the EMEA region.
A 15-years + career across different industries and domains
With a MBA in management from the Warwick business school, UK, and a master’s degree in engineering from Ain Shams university in Egypt, Khaled Salah is an active advocate for driving sustainable progress in the industrial sector. With Sustainability in mind, Khaled is keen on making a positive business impact, while fostering progress for people and the planet.
He started his career at Schneider Electric, in 2013 in the global supply chain and evolved through various roles such as Europe procurement and supply chain strategy Manager, and Global Commercial strategy Director for the industrial automation business. Khaled Salah has developed a strategic understanding of all those fields.
After 12 years in Schneider Electric, Khaled joined AVEVA in 2022 to lead AVEVA and Schneider Electric global strategic partnership, across all industries managing a team of 30 people.
He has led the introduction of new AVEVA software solutions to initiate and develop significant growth areas across all Schneider Electric verticals.
Ambitious plans for AVEVA in Africa
In addition to his current role as AVEVA and Schneider Electric partnership Vice-President, Khaled now takes over the management of AVEVA’s activities in Africa.
Jesus Hernandez, SVP of the EMEA region says: “Africa is a strategic region for AVEVA. In this major industrial market, customers, world leaders in the fields of Energy, Metal & Mining, Chemicals, and Water, are looking for AVEVA’s expertise to accelerate and drive their digital transformation and sustainability strategies, as well as their energy transition projects.
“Khaled Salah’s qualities of leadership in a global environment will benefit his team spread across 12 countries including Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.”
Motivated by the prospect of capitalizing on the talent of his team to strengthen AVEVA’s presence in Africa in the years to come, Khaled Salah says: “Helping my team realize their professional potential is close to my heart.
“We will work together to support and accelerate the digital transformation of industries in Africa, in particular through CONNECT, our industrial intelligence platform, with the support of our ecosystem of partners. »
A Google-Ipsos report reveals Nigerians topping global AI usage at 88%, surpassing the 62% worldwide average, with sharp rises in education and business applications.
“Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the hands of more people” shows 93% of Nigerians using AI for learning complex topics versus 74% globally, 91% for work assistance, and 80% for new ventures—nearly double the 42% global rate.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, stated: “Nigerians are creatively using AI to unlock opportunities for learning, growth, and economic empowerment, shaping their future with technology.”
Key findings highlight 91% viewing AI positively for learning access, 95% expecting benefits for students and educators, and strong optimism—80% excited versus 20% concerned, compared to global 53%-46% split. Frequent users show 90% excitement
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