Telecom
Nigeria Looks Elsewhere as Countries Package Spectrum Relief
The COVID-19 pandemic has focused the world on how technology could help to reduce the scale of the tragedy and save lives.
As citizens face huge restrictions on the way they live their lives; some are cut off from loved ones and their livelihoods threatened.
Responsible governments the world over battle with huge challenges trying to project and plan for the scale of the crisis, hoping to save as many lives as possible.
Their plans are hinged on technology.
As a matter of fact, World Health Organisation (WHO), said, that the pandemic has triggered an unprecedented demand for digital health technology solutions and has revealed successful solutions such as for population screening, tracking the infection, prioritizing the use and allocation of resources, and designing targeted responses.
For Jeremy Potgieter, regional director – Africa, Eseye, this, calls for a connected response, adding that “the more data we gather on what happens when a pandemic occurs, the better we can become at modelling the outcome.
“It’s essential that those with connected devices operating during the Coronavirus outbreak make their data available to researchers, whilst governments need to look at ways in which existing data sources can be leveraged in the future to create a centralized monitoring dashboard that will inform their decisions.” Potgieter stated.
But the world would need huge internet capacity to deal with the pandemic.
That may be why the World Economic Forum (WEF) reviewed and analysed countries increasing internet capacity.
According to Isabelle Mauro, head of Digital Communications, WEF, the COVID crisis has given rise to an increased usage of digital technologies, including a surge in videoconferencing, cloud-services, and content streaming.
“This has put telecommunication networks under intense pressure to handle the exponential growth in demand” Mauro, noted.
And around the globe, regulators and governments are releasing additional bandwidth.
For instance, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, has granted short-term access to available mobile spectrum in coverage bands (600 MHz) and capacity bands (1.7 -2.2 GHz) to provide additional mobile broadband capacity.
Also the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) in Ireland is temporarily releasing extra radio spectrum in the 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands to provide additional capacity for mobile phone and broadband provision and liberalizing the use of 2.1 GHz so that it can be used for 4G and other technologies, rather than just for 3G.
In Africa, Tunisia is making all IMT spectrum tech-neutral on a short-term basis, while ICASA, the regulator in South Africa is working with MNOs on “spectrum relief” to increase capacity in the face of huge demand for data.
But Nigeria is yet to wake up. Apart from lackluster hamdling of the pandemic, affordable internet service is still a distant dream only the rich and intrepid can afford in Nigeria.
Dixon Obiaku, a telecom engineer, urged the federal government and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to follow suit by releasing some idle spectrum as digital relief for Nigerians.
“Some idle frequencies in the 300 MHz –3 000 MHz; and 10GHz–30GHz as well as a host of others can be provided to cope with the demand for data. With lockdown, they are just sitting idle” he said.
Nodding in agreement, Mauro of WEF, said, that going forward, governments should work closely with telecoms operators on strategies to maintain network resiliency, especially in areas most impacted by COVID-19, so as to best support hospitals and other emergency services.
“Video streaming is a high bandwidth application and services around the world are reporting large increases in use. Content providers have started to help alleviate press on networks by adopting lower bit rates and defaulting to standard-definition videos” Mauro added.
Potgieter of Africa, Eseye, said that for governments and businesses alike, that are managing unconnected devices, this should serve as a wake-up call that in this modern world, knowledge and insight come through the joined-up approach of connecting devices remotely and analysing the data generated in a safe and meaningful way to protect the most vulnerable in society.
“ Data is one of the most powerful tools we have for defeating and adapting to pandemics. Let’s make sure we use it” he added.
Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) on Monday commended the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy (FMCIDE) for spearheading a new initiative known as ‘Project Bridge’.
Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON, stated in an interview with NAN in Lagos that the initiative aimed to create a robust and resilient telecommunications backbone across Nigeria.
Emoekpere stated that the project was an ambitious public-private partnership designed to connect all 36 states and Abuja, as well as LGAs, via fiber optic cables.
According to him, the initiative is not meant to replace existing infrastructure but to complement it, creating a more resilient network.
“Right now, most of the networks that we have are linear in nature. ’Just imagine, if there’s only one road from Lagos to Ibadan; if anything happens to that road, you would not get to Ibadan.
‘’This project will create alternative routes,” he said.
The ATCON boss stated that the project was modeled after the successful PPP framework in the energy sector, with the government contributing a certain percentage to the Special Purpose Vehicle and the private sector providing the remaining funding.
He stated that the project’s goal was to establish alternative, redundant connections, thereby ensuring that services remained uninterrupted even if one part of the network was compromised.
The president expressed the full support of telcos, noting that the project would enable members to deliver services more effectively in locations where infrastructure was currently a significant challenge.
“With this project, we will have multiple options,” he said.
Project BRIDGE involves building a nationwide fiber optic network to expand digital infrastructure and connectivity, rather than a physical bridge, as part of Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan.
The project is a public-private partnership ($2 billion cost) using an SPV to deploy 90,000km of fiber-optic cable to enhance education, healthcare, and the digital economy.
MTN Nigeria has successfully completed a scheduled network maintenance operation that affected 101 sites across 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa, Borno, and Kano States.
The restoration marks a significant step in the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance service reliability in the Northeast region, amidst multiple fibre cuts and vandalism.
The maintenance, which took place on Sunday, August 24, involved the cutover of traffic to a newly installed fiber span along the AFCOT–Bawo Village route in Adamawa State.
This upgrade was necessary to replace a previously damaged section of the network infrastructure. All service maintenance was done within timeframe and restorations before 1 PM on Sunday August 24th.
We can confirm that all impacted sites have been fully restored, and services are now operating normally. We appreciate our subscribers’ patience and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused during the downtime.
The affected services included 2G, 3G, 4G, and enterprise connectivity, with temporary disruptions experienced in LGAs such as Girei, Song, Mubi North, Hong, and Michika in Adamawa; Askira/Uba and Shani in Borno; and Nasarawa in Kano.
The work was scheduled during daylight hours to ensure the safety of field engineers, given the linear and unprotected nature of the route.
This restoration is part of MTN’s broader strategy to strengthen its infrastructure in underserved regions and ensure consistent service delivery across Nigeria, amidst constant fibre cuts and vandalism.
TikTok has launched its music insights platform, TikTok for Artists, in Nigeria to support artist growth and fan engagement across the country’s vibrant music industry.
The platform, which debuted globally earlier this year, provides artists, labels, and management teams with access to daily-updated dashboards and analytics tools to track music performance, audience demographics, and fan interactions.
Toyin Mustapha, Head of Music Partnerships for the UK, Ireland, and Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, said the initiative was part of the company’s commitment to empowering African creators.
“With the launch of TikTok for Artists in Nigeria, we’re giving artists and their teams access to insights that can help them engage their fans in more meaningful ways and grow their careers globally,” Mustapha said.
The platform offers detailed song performance metrics, including views, posts, and creator engagements per track. It also provides granular post-level data such as likes, comments, shares, and completion rates, alongside demographic breakdowns by gender, age, and language.
In addition to analytics, TikTok for Artists includes educational resources and step-by-step guides to help artists build sustainable careers.
A key feature of the platform is the Pre-Release tool, which allows artists to launch campaigns for upcoming albums and enables fans to pre-save tracks on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
British artist Jordan Adetunji described the platform as a “game changer,” noting its value in helping artists and their teams plan effective campaigns.
TikTok said the rollout reaffirms its investment in Africa’s creative economy and aims to foster deeper connections between artists and fans across the continent.
The platform is now available to all certified TikTok Artist Accounts, with access also extendable to managers and label teams.
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