Telecom

Spectrum War: Stakeholders Ask NCC to Reverse Sale to MTN

Published

10 years ago

February 24, 2016

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The decision of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to sell the nation’s valued asset to MTN Nigeria has generated negative reactions.

For some time now, the nation’s telecom sector has been embroiled in what could be regarded as a macabre dance between the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), and telecoms operators over the sale of digital spectrums.

According to industry watchers, this war of attrition, if not immediately arrested, may well deny the country another chance to join the rest of the world in the brave new world of digital broadcasting, if it fails to beat the deadline of July 2017 set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for nations to join the digital super highway.

On the top burner of the controversy is the sale of 700MHz spectrum by the NBC to MTN Nigeria early last year.

At the time of the sale, Mr. Emeka Mba, director general of the NBC, had stated that the 700MHz spectrum was being sold to raise the funds to enable the country meet the ITU 2017 deadline for Digital Switch Over (DSO). However, the transaction has now become an issue of debate, owing to the circumstances surrounding it.

Mba had explained that the 700MHz spectrum had to be sold to MTN Nigeria to raise money when it became obvious that the Federal Government could not afford the extra expense.

According to him, the action was taken in order to avoid missing another ITU deadline, adding that the agency looked inwards and discovered that it could sell part of the broadcast frequency allotted to NBC, instead of letting it lie fallow.

Nigeria had missed the DSO deadline of July last year, with the NBC citing lack of fund from the Federal Government as reason for its inability to join the countries that were able to effect the digital switch as stipulated by the ITU.

However, stakeholders in the telecoms industry have described the sale of the 700MHz spectrum by the NBC to MTN as illegal, and have called for its outright cancellation.

They have also queried the rationale behind selling the 700MHz spectrum at a paltry sum of N34 billion, whereas the industry value was put at over N200 billion.

Okwudili Arinze, a manager at a telecoms service provider, expressed surprise that the NBC licensed MTN Nigeria Limited to use part of the 700MHz to provide digital television transmission (DTT), but so far nothing of such had been done. “Instead, MTN is planning to deploy the 700MHz spectrum to broadband services and not digital TV, which is contrary to the ITU agreement,” he said.

The 700MHz spectrum is currently used by the broadcasting industry worldwide but owing to its value in the cost effective deployment of broadband services, member nations of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), including Nigeria, signed a treaty on the transfer of 700MHz spectrum from the broadcasting industry to the telecommunications industry.

According to other telecom stakeholders, the NBC has neither the legal nor statutory right to make such a sale, which right they said, reside only with the NCC.

It is believed that MTN Nigeria used underhand means to get the NBC to approve the sale of the 700MHz spectrum to it under controversial and non-transparent circumstances, which observers say did not follow due process and best practice.

Last year, the NBC sold the 700MHz spectrum to MTN for N34 billion. The transaction allegedly failed to comply with the Communications Act 2003 as well as the Procurement Act 2007, both of which made clear provisions that such assets should be sold through competitive bidding process.

Mba had insisted that the NBC owned the 700MHz spectrum and sold it to MTN after a rigorous due process which included the approval from the Federal Government and the Frequency Management Council (FMC).

NBC is charged with the responsibility of driving the freeing up of the 700MHz spectrum band by the broadcasting industry for its eventual handover to the NCC. But the NBC has so far failed to complete the freeing up and transfer of the 700MHz spectrum within the initial July 2015 deadline. Another deadline of July 2017 has been set for completion of the transfer and Nigeria may yet miss the deadline if nothing is urgently done.

James Ekenwa, a consumer rights activist, said: “It is morally indefensible for the NBC to engage in the sale of a scarce and critical national resource, which it has been mandated to free up and hand over to the telecommunications industry. The sale process was not publicly advertised and there was no bid process which calls into question the methodology adopted by the NBC in determining what a fair price for the spectrum would be. Spectrum is typically auctioned through a bid process.”

With the sale of the 700MHz spectrum to MTN and its additional acquisition of 800MHz spectrum through its buy-out of Visafone, MTN now has an unusually large amount of the most valuable spectrum resource in Nigeria, which its competitors do not have access to and are unlikely to ever have access to.

The 700MHz spectrum signals travel longer distances than the higher frequencies and requires fewer cell towers to reach the same geographic areas. In addition, signals in this spectrum penetrate walls and other obstacles easier than existing spectrum currently used for cell phone networks.

Due to increased demand for spectrum by the telecoms industry, member nations of the ITU Regional Telecommunications Conference agreed to switchover from analogue to digital TV broadcasting since digital broadcasting requires much less spectrum and offers better quality.

After the digital switchover, the 700MHz was to be transferred to the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) for onward transfer to the NCC.

The NBC however sold a portion of the 700MHZ meant for the telecoms industry to MTN as a Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) license, even though MTN has announced that the spectrum will be used for mobile broadband services.

Being the broadcast industry regulator, the NBC is not in a position to sell spectrum to MTN, a telecommunications operator for the provision of telecommunication services.

This transaction seems like a calculated attempt to provide MTN with the ammunition to dominate the data market too (they have already been declared dominant in the voice market by the NCC). Arinze queried: “Why will NBC single out MTN for the sale of this spectrum? What is their objective?”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently arrested Mba reportedly in connection with the about $170million (over N20billion) paid to the commission by MTN Nigeria for the 700 MHZ spectrum. Investigations are currently ongoing, which suggests that the deal might not have been transparent and did not follow due process.

Spectrums are typically sold through an open auction system in order to efficiently allocate these scarce resources to interested parties and also secure revenue for the government in the process.

This was clearly not the case in the sale of the 700MHz by the NBC to MTN. Why then has this deal not been reversed so that due process can be followed?

The negative impacts of this deal to the telecoms industry cannot be over emphasised. Industry watchers agree that the deal will provide an already dominant operator in the voice market with resources to take over the data market also. “This is anti-competitive and unhealthy for a growing and vibrant industry”, Ekenwa added.

The nation’s nascent telecom industry can only thrive when operators compete for customers through innovative products and services.

Granting one operator access to scarce spectrum such as the 700MHz spectrum band disqualifies other operators from the race even before the kick-off. The NCC in recognition of this fact has historically assigned spectrum to telecommunications operators on a fair and equitable basis.

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Telecom

Truecaller Targets Global Market with Powerful New Business Chat Push

Published

18 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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Truecaller, the leading global communications platform, today announced the expansion of its Business Chat platform, making it accessible to global channel partners and enterprise solution providers. By “opening up” market access to its platform, Truecaller is empowering partners to transition their enterprise clients from legacy, low-trust SMS to a verified, smart, media-rich, and conversational communication experience.

Truecaller

Through this partner-led expansion, Truecaller empowers businesses to reclaim customer attention and establish immediate trust and credibility.

“The definition of success for modern enterprises has fundamentally evolved. It’s no longer just about delivery – it’s about earning attention, establishing credibility, and driving meaningful conversion,” said Priyam Bose, Global Head, GTM at Truecaller.

“By opening up market access to our global partners, we’ve created a powerful gateway for brands to engage with over 500 million active users where they already interact daily through communication that is contextual, trusted, free from clutter, and designed to initiate actions. For existing customers, the outreach opportunity extends to an additional high-impact channel, strengthening the overall customer experience journey.”

Truecaller Business Chat enables a clutter-free, high-trust conversational experience between businesses and consumers. The Business Chat platform equips partners with actionable insights, including real-time data and rich engagement metrics. This facilitates a more sophisticated, data-driven communication strategy that adapts at every stage of the customer journey.

Partners, including Gupshup and OneXtel, are already live in India along with Globe Teleservices, Cloudcom, and Sling Africa in other global markets, rapidly scaling the product in their respective regions. Global partners can now leverage Truecaller’s massive footprint to offer their clients a trustworthy engagement channel in an increasingly crowded digital world.

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Telecom

Apply Now: MTN Nigeria Opens 2026 Media Innovation Programme

Published

18 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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MTN Nigeria has opened applications for the fifth edition of its Media Innovation Programme (MIP), expanding the cohort to 25 fellows from 20 in previous years to mark the company’s 25th anniversary and bolster the media sector.

MTN Nigeria

The initiative highlights MTN Nigeria’s 25-year milestone in connecting Nigerians, paralleling investment in storytellers who amplify these connections across society and foster a vibrant media industry amid digital evolution.

“The Media Innovation Programme reflects our commitment to supporting the growth and evolution of the media industry by providing access to knowledge, exposure, and meaningful engagement with the realities shaping it,” said Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Nigeria.

“The expansion to 25 fellows this year is a deliberate reflection of our 25-year milestone, and a reminder that as the media industry continues to evolve, there is a continued need to invest in the people and ideas that will shape its future.”

Applications close April 22, 2026; aspiring fellows can apply at mtnmip.smc.edu.ng.

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Telecom

Meta Unveils Muse Spark: MSL’s Groundbreaking People-First AI Model

Published

18 hours ago

April 9, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) unveiled Muse Spark Tuesday, its first large language model in a new Muse series, designed from scratch to deliver “personal superintelligence”—an AI assistant tailored to users’ real-world needs like complex reasoning in science, math and health.

Meta Unveils Muse Spark: MSL’s Groundbreaking People-First AI Model

Meta AI

A New Model: Muse Spark

Over the last nine months, Meta Superintelligence Labs rebuilt our AI stack from the ground up, moving faster than any development cycle we have run before. Muse Spark is the first model in our new Muse series — a deliberate and scientific approach to model scaling where each generation validates and builds on the last before we go bigger. This initial model is small and fast by design, yet capable enough to reason through complex questions in science, math, and health. It is a powerful foundation, and the next generation is already in development. Muse Spark now powers the Meta AI assistant in the Meta AI app and meta.ai, built to support complex reasoning and multimodal tasks.

What’s Changed with Meta AI

The Meta AI app and meta.ai are getting an upgrade today, along with a new look. Whether you need a quick answer or help with complex problems that need strong reasoning, Meta AI now handles both. You can switch between modes depending on the task, and Meta AI can launch multiple subagents in parallel to tackle your question. Like planning a family trip to Florida where one agent drafts the itinerary, another compares Orlando vs. the Keys, and a third finds kid-friendly activities — all at the same time, giving you a better answer, faster.

Ask Meta AI: It Understands

The real world moves fast, and most of it does not fit into a text box. That is why we built strong multimodal perception into Muse Spark, so Meta AI can see and understand what you are looking at, not just read what you type. Snap a photo of an airport snack shelf and Meta AI can identify and rank the snacks with the most protein — no label-squinting required. Scan a product and ask how it compares to alternatives. It is the difference between an AI that waits for you to explain the world and one that can simply look at the world with you. And when Meta AI powered by Muse Spark comes to our AI glasses, the assistant will be able to better see and understand the world around you.

Multimodal perception is especially valuable for health. With Muse Spark, Meta AI is now able to help you navigate health questions with more detailed responses, including some questions involving images and charts. Health is one of the top reasons people turn to AI, so we worked with a team of physicians to develop the model’s ability to provide helpful information on common health questions and concerns.

Muse Spark excels at visual coding, letting you create custom websites and mini-games straight from a prompt. Ask Meta AI to build a dashboard for planning a big surprise party, spin up a retro arcade game to chase a high score, or launch a whimsical flight simulator — and share any of them with friends.

Ask Meta AI: It’s Plugged Into What You Care About

Meta AI can now help you discover what to wear, how to style a room, or what to buy for someone you know. Shopping mode draws from the styling inspiration and brand storytelling already happening across our apps, surfacing ideas from the creators and communities people already follow.

And when you are looking up a place to go or a topic that is trending, Meta AI surfaces rich and relevant context right alongside the conversation. Tap into a location and see public posts from locals who know the area. Ask what people are buzzing about and get the full picture, pulled from content and community posts. It is context from your people, right where you need it.

Looking Ahead

The Meta AI app and meta.ai will have the upgraded experience with Instant and Thinking modes everywhere they are available today. The new Meta AI features are starting to roll out in the US on both. In the coming weeks, we will bring these new modes and capabilities to more countries and to the places where people use Meta AI, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and our AI glasses — where these perception capabilities become even more powerful. We are also opening access to the underlying technology. It will be available in private preview via API to select partners, and we hope to open-source future versions of the model.

This is only the start. As we expand these features, expect richer, more visual results, with Reels, photos, and posts woven directly into your answers, with credit back to the content creators. And as our models improve, we’ll continue to build safeguards for things like safety and privacy, starting with the strengthened risk framework and other protections we’re sharing today.

The future of Meta AI is rooted in the relationships and context already at the center of your life. We are building toward personal superintelligence — an AI that does not just answer your questions but truly understands your world because it is built on it.

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