Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC), Thursday, in Lagos reiterated its readiness to
open up the 70/80 Gega Hertz Band spectrum for licensing with a discussion with
stakeholders, reports ITRealms.
Welcoming
participants to the forum, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene
Juwah, represented by a member of NCC a Commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Bintubi,
said the forum was an “explorative meeting, which is aimed at advancing and
multiplying the potentials of a particular range of frequency band for the
benefit of the industry, and Nigerian nation.”
He also stated, “the
70/80 GHz spectrum band is yet to be
fully explored and exploited in Nigeria” Juwah urged stakeholder’s to share their
views and thoughts about how best to put this to use.
Juwah further
stated that the most important thing is how to share these resources for the
common good of the investor community, service provider community and consumer
of services community.
ITRealms reports
that EVCnoted the challenge on how to balance the interest of the stakeholders
and yet deliver the values available or desirable from this scarce resource.
Among the aims
for which the stakeholder’s forum was organized include addressing the growing demands
by operators for data centric, high speed and high capacity links for the
metropolitan environment, as it is a replica of fibre in the air; to further
assist the commission’s drive for National Broadband Wireless Access (BWA)
initiative.; Reduce the pressure and management challenges experienced with the
traditional Microwave Frequency Bands; Ensure broadband services become more
accessible and pervasive with quality that is desirable; Ensure operational
flexibility and robustness that would enhance available infrastructure and
resources in the industry, ITRealms gathered.
Juwah, told ITRealms that the commission will not relent in adopting global best practices
in all its regulatory activities, especially in very technical areas like
allocation and utilization. He said that is why the commission has developed
various policies and guidelines that guide most of their processes including
frequency allocation and pricing.
Engr. Austin Nwaulune,
Director, Spectrum Administration, NCC, the discussion focused on the plans,
licensing, proposed models and pricing.
Speaking to ITRealms, he said that the band otherwise known as the e-band has the range of
spectrum of 71-76 on one leg and 81-86 on the other, totaling 5 Gega Hertz.
He equally said
it is good for wireless service network, enterprises and campus connectivity
and has the benefit of easing pressure on micro radio frequency programmes.
He said that
licensing is not an all comers affair, that it is regulated, stressing that
licensing fee in USA is about 75 dollars while in UK, it is 50 pounds per link,
in UAE and Berlin, it is full licensing while in Hong Kong it is free but in
Nigeria it is going to go for N14,000 per link.
Among industry
giants that graced the occasion were Mrs. Iyabo Sholaike, Director Finance Services,
NCC; Ubali Maska, Executive Commissioner, Technical Standard, NCC; Engr. Lanre
Ajai, President, Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria, Mr. Ken Spann,
Managing Director, Wave Technical.
Cyriacus
Nnaji/GEE
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