Telecom
Unlocking the Potentials of Spectrum for Economic Growth
Spectrum is beyond the lifeblood of the telecommunications industry, it is the lifeblood of the economy.
As a scarce resource the way it is allocated determines whether it will lead to economic growth or not.
According to Oladipo Raji, President/CEO, InfraFocus Technologies, “If you have 10 spectrum slots and concentrate it on one operator it will hinder growth of the economy as against spreading it among operators that will use it to deliver services.
“In deploying infrastructure for service delivery means economic growth in different sectors of the economy that requires telecommunications services to function optimally.
“For spectrum to be utilized optimally, Government needs to create the market, if there are no market opportunities, anti-competition practice will creep in. They have to create level playing environment with the right laws as well support small operators to survive in the space.
Lanre Ajayi, immediate past president, Association Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), said telecommunication is catalyst for economic growth as it is key driver for better performance of other sectors such as banking, education and health.
“However, we need to pay attention to how spectrum is managed in this country. For me, we are not managing our spectrum well as there are idol spectrums in the purview of NCC and NBC with no agreement on how to allocate it which has left operators handicap, some operators bought spectrum and locked it up because they don’t have money to deploy infrastructure for service delivery.
“It was against this backdrop that I advocated for spectrum secondary market, although it has been established, but until now no further move has been made to ensure its implementation and the situation is still the same.
“More so, there are other spectrums that have not been allocated which are required by operators because it is overpriced by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
He urged federal government through its agencies in charge of spectrum management to make such spectrums available at reasonable and responsible price in view of the economic benefits to be derived from its use.
Engr. Samuel Adeleke, managing director, Steineng Ltd, urged regulatory authorities to take a look at the success rate of their auctioned spectrum licenses.
“Any regulation that will make businesses to grow or create right environment for success of businesses and not making money for government should be the focus of NCC and other government agencies,” he noted.
Mohamed Madkour, VP of wireless and cloud core marketing and solutions at Huawei, said : “The more spectrum is licensed, that’s how things will be deployed and how mobility will be enabled. Connectivity for enterprises is mostly going to be wireless. So, mobility is the key for everything.”
Madkour emphasised the importance of understanding which spectrum bands are licensed, how they are licensed and to whom. “The fragmentation, technology neutrality, service neutrality and cleaning of the spectrum are the things government needs to look at when licensing the spectrum.”
MTN Uganda is seeking input from stakeholders on a plan to structurally separate its mobile money service, MoMo, from its core telecoms business.
According to the company, the proposed change will be discussed at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting on July 2.
If approved, the telco’s fintech business will be run by a new company controlled by MTN Group Fintech Holdings B.V. and a trust benefiting minority shareholders following a merger.
Additionally, the restructuring also aligns with MTN Group’s ambition 2025 strategy which aims to unlock value, attract new investors, and strengthen regulatory compliance by creating standalone fintech entities in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria.
The company’s fintech division has over 13 million customers, with an 18.4% revenue increase in the first quarter of 2025, driven by 19.0% growth in mobile money services, 19.8% growth in transaction volumes, and a 31.4% increase in transaction value.
Reports say the decision is part of the telco’s compliance with the National Payment Systems Act 2020, which mandates mobile money businesses to operate as standalone entities, and to align with MTN Group’s regional fintech strategy.
MTN Uganda, which is led by CEO Sylvia Mulinge, highlighted that the implementation of the proposed transaction will be subjected to a number of conditions and regulatory procedures.
“The implementation of the proposed transaction shall be subject to a number of conditions, including the company and MTN MoMo receiving all required regulatory approvals and no-objections and complying with any regulatory conditions,” said MTN Uganda in notice.
Netflix has announced plans to invest more than €1 billion in Spanish film and television productions over the next four years, reinforcing its commitment to Spain as a key creative hub in Europe.
The announcement was made by co-chief executive Ted Sarandos at an event held at Netflix’s production studios near Madrid, celebrating the company’s 10-year presence in the country.
Sarandos emphasized that the investment would contribute significantly to Spain’s economy, create jobs, and enable the streaming platform to produce more local content. He was joined by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in unveiling the initiative.
Netflix first established its international production studios in Madrid in 2019, following the success of the Spanish-language hit series Money Heist.
Since then, its 22,000-square-meter facility has become one of Netflix’s major production centers within the European Union.
The company currently supports over 20,000 jobs in Spain, highlighting the nation’s growing influence in global entertainment.
The investment reflects Netflix’s ongoing strategy to expand its presence in European markets through original content and local talent.
Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has raised alarms over a new wave of advanced cyberattacks targeting Android mobile phones through a malware campaign dubbed Tria Stealer.
The malicious software is designed to infiltrate Android devices, hijack messaging accounts, intercept One-Time Passwords (OTPs), to steal sensitive personal and financial data.
According to ngCERT, Tria Stealer spreads primarily through deceptive tactics, such as fake event invitations distributed via popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
Unsuspecting users are enticed to download an infected (APK) file, often disguised as a harmless system application, to evade detection.
Once installed, Tria Stealer requests extensive permissions, including access to SMS, call logs, and app notifications.
It immediately commences data harvesting activities, sending stolen information to a Command and Control (C2) server operated via Telegram bots.
This trojan spreads through fake links, usually disguised as wedding or event invites, and tricks users into downloading malicious APK files
“Account takeover of messaging platforms. Impersonation of victim for fraudulent money transfer requests. Compromise of banking and financial applications. Identity theft and credential harvesting.”
In plain terms, if your phone is compromised, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Your financial apps are vulnerable, your reputation could be ruined by impersonation and even simple personal messages could be twisted into tools for scams.
Here’s what users should be doing now:
Don’t download apps outside the official Play Store.
Be suspicious of random invites or links, even from people you know.
Turn on 2FA for everything—banking, emails, social platforms.
Get a reputable antivirus and keep it updated.
If you run an organisation, you should already be taking this seriously.
ngCERT’s guidance says you should raise awareness, monitor mobile devices, and not let your team click on unverified links.
“Deploy network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections to known C2 domains,” it said, meaning, keep an eye on every digital door in and out.
This isn’t one of those cases where you wait to see if it affects you. By the time you realise it, it may already be too late.
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