Bitflux Communications Limited has become full operator of the 2.3 GHz spectrum after making a payment of $23.251,000 for the spectrum it won at a recent auction.
In a short statement, Tony Ojobo, director, Corporate Communications (NCC), said, “Bitflux Communications Ltd has paid the sum of $ 23,251,000.00 being the winning bid at the 2.3Ghz frequency auction of 19 / 2 / 14”.
Globacom and Bitflux were pre-qualified for the 2.3GHz Spectrum Auction after a number of other well known companies pull out of the process.
The NCC had before the auction said: “The NCC, on behalf of the Federal Government, hereby announces Bitflux Communications Limited and Globacom Limited as the approved bidders for the auction of one Frequency Spectrum License in the 2.3GHz band.
“This is having complied with the pre-qualification criteria set out by the commission in the Information Memorandum for the 2.3GHz Spectrum Auction.”
According to the commission, this is in line with the terms of Information Memorandum published on 2.3GHz Spectrum Auction that the auction will take place on February 19 and 20 in Abuja.
In order to ensure openness in the exercise, the NCC ensured that pre-qualification criteria did not make it necessarily mandatory for applicants to have any telecommunications operational licence in Nigeria.
However, applicants must be companies registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and must transfer an Intention-to-Bid Deposit of $2.3 million into the designated bank account.
The deposit would bind the applicant to take up a license, should it be a successful bidder, at the reserve price or any higher bid value submitted during the process.
Also, applicants must be independent from all other applicants under this allocation process.
Furthermore, licensed operators participating in the process must fulfill all existing obligations to the commission including payments of annual operational levy and Spectrum and National Numbering Plan fees prior to pre-qualification.
However, the successful bidder will be granted a Wholesale Wireless Access Service Licence (WWASL) and the specified fee must be paid before the licence is issued.
The tenure for the WWASL licence will be 10 years and subject to renewal.