Telecom
FG Woos Broadband Investors with Incentives, Opts for Open Access Model
Federal government has said there is much to do to achieve an all inclusive penetration of telecommunications to every part of the country, despite attaining active telephone line connectivity of over 134 million and a teledensity of 96 percent, the
Dr.Omobola Johnson, Communication Technology minister, told a large gathering of telecoms investors, friends of Nigeria and the global Informaton and Communication Technology community in Doha, Qatar, that the theme of ITU Telecom World 2014,The Future in Focus, resonates ,with the vision of the Nigerian Government as we work to build a better and brighter future for our youthful population especially using ICT.
The minister who spoke at the Nigerian sponsored Leaders Lunch, at the Qatar National Convention Centre, venue of the ITU yearly event, told the audience that in the last three and a half years since the creation of her Ministry, Nigeria has been putting in place key policies and initiatives that set the foundation for the widespread use of ICTs by government, by businesses, and by citizens to further their progress.
And we are seeing the impact of our efforts in the continued growth of the sector in Nigeria ,its contribution to GDP and in the contribution of ICTs the efficiency of other sectorsof the country.
Earlier in his welcome address, Dr. Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman, of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said he was particularly excited that the audience made out time to be at the leaders lunch which presents us opportunity to interact with you and update our stories and share our experiences.
According to Juwah,we will ruminate on our ICT potentials and opportunities as a nation, which we believe you may have influenced in one way or the other as opinion leaders in the industry.
The NCC boss said Nigeria being the most populous nation in Africa with over 170 million people and having made giant strides in ICT development, it is obvious that a lot must be happening in our industry.
He said top on Nigeria’s desk today is broadband availability and usage. Hence Nigeria’s theme in this conference: Broadband Nigeria, Enabling Access, Transforming Communities.
He said President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has graciously approved an inclusive national implementation plan for effective nationwide pervasive broadband deployment.
According to Juwah, from the regulatory perspective, NCC has entrenched the Open Access Model, which allows for inclusive, fair and transparent licensing processes as well as incentives for investors in the industry.
He said NCC has tested the Open Access Model and it is workable in Nigeria.
In February 2014,we successfully issued a wireless broadband licence for the 2.3 Gigerhertz frequency spectrum band.
Regional fibre optics infrastructure deployment licence is currently being finalized for Lagos and the North Central region including Abuja, the capital of Nigeria..
After that, the other five regions will follow hereby creating huge investment opportunities for both current and new investors, and both small and big ones.
He said although over 75millon people have access to the internet, they currently browse on the narrow band and with our current maturity on the voice segment, the data market remains untapped.
Juwah told his audience including Dr.Hamadoun Toure, outgoing secretary general of the ITU, that a lot more potentials and opportunities exist in the financial sector where banks are yawning for broadband services to enable their indispensable data services requirements.
The Education sector too has huge demand for broadband data applications and so do government agencies. The potentials are simply enormous, Juwah advised.
Earlier a spectacular Opening Ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha brought together a glittering line-up of high-level participants, including (in speaking order):
•Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ooredoo Group, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani,
•Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani,
•Minister of Information and Communications Technology, ictQATAR, Hessa Sultan Al Jaber,
•ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré,
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, chairman of the Board of Directors Ooredoo Group took the opportunity to highlight the need for partnership and collaboration between the world’s key players, saying, “Amongst us are many of the world’s largest technology companies. We are joined by many high ranking government representatives, policy shapers, from across the region and the world, as well as a new generation of entrepreneurs and app-developers. Feel our power, our combined experience and know how. Together we can make the future happen sooner.”
“We are extremely proud to host a great number of telco corporations as an important hub,” said H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar in his Opening Ceremony address.
“To meet here and to debate is an opportunity to exchange ideas about new opportunities which can contribute to changing and transforming the world.”
“With the increasing interconnectivity between sectors, no one can work alone, as in the past,” said Dr Hessa Al Jaber, Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ictQATAR). “We must work together to help bring these technologies to the rest of the world.”
Highlighting the tremendous potential of technology as a tool for improving lives, Touré noted in his opening address: “Never before in human history have so many developments in technology, in science and business come together with such tremendous potential to improve the lives of people everywhere. Never before have the challenges of ensuring that the changes happening are fair, equitable and ethical been so considerable.”
Organized by ITU, the United Nations Specialized Agency for ICTs, the event is hosted by the Government of Qatar, with the support of leading international communications company, Ooredoo.
The Opening Ceremony marked the beginning of an action packed few days of high-level debate, networking and knowledge-sharing, with the Leadership Summit on the future launching the debate in the afternoon of 7 December.
The Forum will bring together the industry’s leading names who will explore three major scenarios of disruption, cross-sector partnerships and the intelligent future. Sessions will take a variety of formats from panel sessions, keynotes and high-level debates to global media-moderated Big Conversations.
The show floor highlights technologies and investment opportunities through the presence of National and Thematic Pavilions and Industry Showcases. Top global players include Alcatel Lucent, Huawei, Intel, LS telcom, Nokia, Ooredoo and ZTE, along with countries from across the world such as Argentina, Azerbaijan, China, Nigeria and the Smart Africa Zone (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda).
Innovation will be a core component of the event. The InnovationSpace will host the Lab, featuring state-of-the-art demos and technological, social and design innovations. The show floor is also home to the Young Innovators Competition finalists, young social entrepreneurs between ages 18 and 30 from around the world with innovative digital solutions with positive social impact
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has joined other professionals across media, technology, and business gathered in Lagos for the Swish Fusion Tech and Media Summit.
Themed ‘Africa: Big Wins & New Breaks’, the summit drew thousands of attendees and featured more than 40 speakers exploring the intersection of innovation, regulation, and economic growth across the continent.
Among the sessions, MTN Nigeria presented a detailed look at the company’s ongoing 5G deployment efforts and its role in shaping enterprise infrastructure.
Njideka Jack, senior manager for Partnerships in MTN’s Enterprise Business Division, shared details of the investments, reiterating the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality 5G-powered services.
The company’s 5G rollout timeline began in 2022 with license acquisition from the Nigerian Communications Commission. In 2023, MTN moved into pilot testing and infrastructure investment.
By 2024, coverage had expanded to key cities and business hubs.
The company now plans to extend access to more underserved areas throughout 2025 while deepening collaboration with OEMs and regulators.
Beyond the rollout itself, Jack also spoke on the potential of private 5G networks for Nigerian enterprises.
With the ability to offer secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, these networks are increasingly being adopted in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and logistics sectors.
The summit’s broader agenda reflected a similar sense of urgency around Africa’s digital future.
Panels and breakout sessions tackled topics ranging from mobile-first product design and regulatory frameworks to the rise of AI in content creation and the realities of funding early-stage tech ventures on the continent.
Speakers from companies like Jumia, Stears and local startups provided perspectives on both the barriers and breakthroughs in building scalable African solutions.
The sessions also sparked conversations about how African businesses are adapting to consumer behaviour shifts and infrastructure limitations.
Pan African Towers (PAT), a Nigerian infrastructure provider serving 9mobile and Spectranet, has appointed Echezona Osi as chief executive officer.
Echezona Osi
Adefolarin Ogunsanya, company’s, board chairman, explained in a statement that Osi would succeed Oladipo Badru, whose tenure lasted nine months in acting CEO position. Osi has more than 28 years of experience in the telecommunications sector across various regions of Africa.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, he had served as the head of network deployment at Airtel Nigeria, operations director and chief technical information officer at MIC Tanzania, chief technology officer roles at IPT PowerTech Nigeria, Rhino Niger Networks and Biswal Nigeria.
He obtained a degree in electrical/ electronic engineering from the University of Benin and a postgraduate diploma in data science and business analytics from the University of Texas.
Companies sending bulk international text messages, also known as Application-to-Person (A2P) messages, will now have apply for a licence that costs N10 million.
This is part of new rules introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) aimed at cleaning up the system, fighting fraud, blocking spam messages and stopping money from leaving the country unchecked.
These A2P messages are the kind customers get from banks, online stores, hospitals and political campaigns, automated texts sent from apps to their phones.
According to the commission, the bulk international text message system has been poorly regulated, allowing misuse and invasion of privacy.
“The International SMS Service Ecosystem in Nigeria has not been fully brought under regulatory control. It has been observed that the excessive use of the Short Message Service has led to fraud, spam and illegal activities,” the NCC said.
The regulator warned that without action, the problem would worsen as more people use mobile phones and digital services.
To solve this, the NCC is creating a central platform, or gateway, through which all international bulk text messages must pass through.
The agency said this would help to monitor messages in real time, ensure proper fees are paid, and make sure the money stays in Nigeria where it can contribute to the economy.
As part of the incoming change, service providers must follow strict rules, including strong data protection, spam filters, and message encryption.
Also, they must also work with local mobile networks and make sure all messages come from a verified sender
The NCC warned that any message without a proper sender ID will be blocked and not delivered to users.
To protect users from unwanted texts, the new rules say companies must get clear permission before sending any promotional content.
The rule also says people must also be able to choose whether they want to receive such messages or not.
Companies are now required to keep records of all messages for at least six months and must clearly state all charges involved.
The NCC said fees for help requests, cancellations, or service info must be transparent and not include hidden charges.
The commission will issue licences to several providers to encourage healthy competition but may limit new licences if needed.
Only companies that show they can stop fraud and safely deliver messages will be allowed to operate. They must also regularly report their message traffic and finances to the NCC.
It warned that any company that breaks the rules risks getting fined, suspended, or having its licence revoked.
Offences like charging illegal tariffs, ignoring security rules, or avoiding taxes will be punished, the NCC said.
The commission added that the new rules follow the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023 and support the federal government’s goal of strengthening cybersecurity and controlling Nigeria’s digital space.
The framework will also be reviewed from time to time to keep up with new technology and market trends.
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