Telecom
NCC Opens Spectrum Windows for Drones, 5G Operation
Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) will soon allocate the required spectrum for the operation and management of drones and 5G in Nigeria.
Also the 60 GHz Spectrum band to boost the imminent advantages that are coming with 5G technology and also to support indoor short range machine to machine communication has been opened for use.
Spectrum refers to a range of radio-waves that are used for communication purposes.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, NCC, said that all the aforementioned Spectrums are license-free but regulated…” but “all equipment to be used must be dully type approved in accordance with the Commission’s Type Approval Regulation.
Danbatta spoke at the stakeholders consultative Forum On regulation of drone: the spectrum perspective, and presentation of reviewed guidelines on 2.4 and 5.8Ghz spectrum bands held today at Sheraton Hotesl, Lagos.
The forum was organized by the NCC, with several security officials and operators of drone attending.
He said “the 60 GHz global unlicensed band which exists on 57–64 GHz, a wide Spectrum of up to 7 GHz is now officially open to Nigerians and will in due course be available for use after necessary work is completed on the guidelines”.
According to Danbatta the new spectrum initiative will complement the Spectrum in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz unlicensed bands currently being utilized in the country.
The forum was organized by the Commission to demonstrate effort of the Commission at providing requisite Spectrum for the deployment of drones technology and to listen to your views on the subject matter.
There was a presentation of the reviewed guidelines on the use of 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz bands respectively to accommodate the emerging technology, at the forum.
He said the guidelines for the use of 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz Spectrum bands is presently limited in its condition of use and therefore requires amendments.
Danbatta added that the new draft guidelines have incorporated some changes which include but not limited to Duty cycle, Transmission, Reception Frequencies, Power, Distance, Speed and Weight.
The idea of the new changes, he noted, is so as to give an added opportunity to the use of drones in the bands without causing interference to the adjacent and incumbent services.
The EVC said the frequencies which are currently unlicensed and are not allocated strictly for the utilization of drones in Nigeria, but the Commission has temporarily identified and modified some conditions in the guidelines and authorized the operators, cleared by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), to use them in response to the request from the ONSA to temporarily use the Frequencies pending the revision of the guidelines.
In a speech, Austin Nwaulune, director of Spectrum Administration the established technical parameters to use the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz bands as the frequency for deployment of drones and other emerging technologies in other to maximise their benefits.
He said though the Commission has had guidelines on both the use of 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz Bands for Wireless Access System (WAS the prevailing guidelines do not cover the general requirement for the control of drones and payload links such as on-board cameras, sensors, etc.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”
Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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