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NCC Offers Two More Slots on 3.5GHz Band for 5G Services

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has put up another two slots of spectrum in the 3.5GHz Spectrum band for auction before end of 2022, to boost deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) services in Nigeria.

The process, which was made public on 21st October 2022 with the publication of the Draft Information Memorandum (IM) for the auction on the Commission’s website, invited stakeholders to study the Memorandum for purposes of making submissions ahead of a review of the IM on 16th November 2022.

The final IM is slated for publication on 18th December 2022, while applications will be received by the Commission from 21st November 2022. The closing date for the submission of application, the deadline for payment of mandatory Intention-To-Bid Deposit (IBD), and the Pre-Qualification Stage is set for 5th December 2022.

Qualified bidders would be notified on 5th December 2022 while notification and publication of the Mock Auction and Auction date will occur on the same day. The Mock Action is billed for 16th December 2022 just as the Auction proper takes place three days later, on 19th December 2022.

The process is anticipated to enter its grant stage on 21st December 2022 with the publication of provisional bid winners and the notification of provisional award of licence.

The year 2023 will open with the payment for Spectrum Licence and Operational Licence, where applicable, on 20th January 2023 and on the 23rd of January 2023, the auction process will be concluded with the publication of the result.

Meanwhile, according to the Information Memorandum, pursuant to the issuance of the IM, the Commission reserves the right to make available additional information through the publication of further documentation. Therefore, interested parties are advised to stay abreast with developments in the licensing process by checking regularly for updates on the Commission’s website.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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Telecoms Subscribers to Petition National Assembly Over Controversial 5% Tax

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The National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) has announced plans to petition the National Assembly over the Federal Government’s renewed push to impose a 5% excise duty on telecommunications services.

The association, representing millions of telecom users in Nigeria, is set to meet on Wednesday to finalize its petition, urging lawmakers to halt any legislative approval of the proposed tax while a court case challenging its implementation is ongoing.

The case, currently before the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, has been adjourned to March 13, 2025. NATCOMS President, Adeolu Ogunbanjo, told The newsmen on Monday that the petition is necessary to prevent the National Assembly from unknowingly passing the tax into law.

“We are meeting this Wednesday to finalize the arrangement to write the National Assembly. If we don’t inform them that there is a pending court case, the Assembly might unknowingly pass the bill into law. That would be disastrous for subscribers and the industry,” Ogunbanjo said.

NATCOMS has consistently criticized the proposed excise duty as excessive and detrimental to telecom users. Ogunbanjo noted that telecom services are already subject to over 40 different taxes, and adding another levy would significantly increase the financial burden on subscribers. The association’s National Secretary and Legal Adviser, Bayo Omotubora, described the tax as double taxation and unconstitutional.

“The case is before the Lagos High Court and has been adjourned to March 13, 2025. Until a decision is made, implementing this tax would be illegal and unconstitutional. The Federal Government must respect the judicial process,” Omotubora said.

The 5% excise duty is part of a broader tax reform initiative outlined in the proposed “Nigeria Tax Act.” The bill seeks to consolidate tax laws and impose taxes on various transactions, including telecom services regulated by the Nigerian Communications Commission.

Introduced in 2022 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the tax faced public backlash, leading to its suspension in July 2023 by President Bola Tinubu. However, the government has recently revived the plan to boost revenue amidst economic challenges.

NATCOMS emphasized that the government must wait for the court’s decision before proceeding with the tax. “We are not just fighting for the legality of this tax but also to protect millions of Nigerians who rely on affordable telecom services,” Omotubora added.

The association’s petition to the National Assembly will highlight the ongoing legal battle and the economic implications of the proposed tax. “The Federal Government must respect the judicial process and suspend any action on this tax until the matter is resolved in court,” Ogunbanjo said.

NATCOMS has called on stakeholders to join its fight against the tax, describing it as an unnecessary burden on telecoms subscribers and the industry.


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Airtel Directors Win Honours @ CIO Awards

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Airtel Nigeria’s leadership team has demonstrated outstanding excellence in innovation and technology as two of its directors were honoured with three prestigious awards at the 5th edition of the CIO & C-Suite Awards, held on Saturday, 30th November 2024, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The annual awards, organized by CIO Club Africa, celebrates outstanding achievements in technology and innovation leadership across 11 African nations, recognizing individuals and organizations shaping the future of the tech industry.

During the event, Harmanpreet Dhillon, Chief Technology Officer, Airtel Nigeria was recognised as Overall Tech Champion of the Year and also received the Gold Award as an Innovative Leader in the Telecommunications Sector. Also, the Director of Information and Technology, Airtel Nigeria, Kemi Ariyo, was recognized with the Silver Award as an Innovative  Leader in the same category, highlighting her significant contributions to the sector.

While expressing his gratitude for the recognition, Mr. Harmanpreet Dhillon dedicating the awards to the efforts of the Airtel team.

“At Airtel, we are fully committed to continuous innovation and excellence and I must say this is a reflection of the relentless efforts and dedication of the entire Airtel Nigeria team. These awards inspire us to continue breaking barriers and achieving excellence through innovative technology,” he said.

The event brought together technology leaders, including Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), Chief Information Officers (CIOs), tech visionaries, security experts, and innovation pioneers who share a united goal of shaping the future of technology and driving transformative progress across industries.

In her remarks at the event, Kemi Ariyo also emphasised the importance of professional honours in encouraging innovation across the industry, stating, “Awards like these are a motivation to keep contributing meaningfully to the industry and to push the boundaries of what is possible in technology and telecommunications.”

These achievements reflect the brand’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and setting new benchmarks in the telecommunications industry.


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Meta Confirms No AI Interference in 2024 Elections

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Meta on Tuesday said fears that artificial intelligence would unleash a torrent of misinformation to deceive voters around the world did not come true as elections played out around the world this year.

Defenses against deceptive influence campaigns at the networking giant’s platform held firm, with no evidence that such coordinated efforts got much attention online, Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg told reporters.

“I don’t think the use of generative AI was a particularly effective tool for them to evade our trip wires,” Clegg said of those behind coordinated disinformation campaigns.

“The delta between what was expected and what appeared is quite significant.”

Meta says that most of the cover influence operations it has disrupted in recent years were carried out by actors from Russia, Iran and China.

Meta has no intent of lowering its guard, however, since generative AI tools are expected to become more sophisticated and more prevalent.

Clegg referred to 2024 as the biggest election year ever, with some 2 billion people estimated to have gone to the polls in scores of countries around the world.

“People were understandably concerned about the potential impact that generative AI would have on elections during the course of this year,” Clegg said during a briefing with journalists.

“There were all sorts of warnings about the potential risks of things like widespread deep fakes and AI enabled disinformation campaigns.”

Preventing the malicious use of generative AI in elections became an industry-wide effort, according to Clegg.

Clegg said he was not privy to whether Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and president-elect Donald Trump discussed the tech platform’s content moderation policies, when Zuckerberg was invited to Trump’s Florida resort last week.

Trump has been critical of Meta, accusing the platform of censoring politically conservative viewpoints.

“Mark is very keen to play an active role in the debates that any administration needs to have about maintaining America’s leadership in the technological sphere…and particularly the pivotal role that AI will play in that area,” Clegg said.

Clegg added that hindsight has led Meta to conclude that it “overdid” content moderation during the Covid-19 pandemic and that the tech company is “redoubling” efforts to improve the precision with which it targets content for removal based on its policies.

“Our content rules evolve and change all the time,” Clegg said.

“We will definitely continue to work on all of that, mindful of the fact that we’re never going to get it perfectly right and to everybody’s satisfaction.”

AFP


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