The Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC) is determined to license five infrastructure companies
(infracos) before the end of this year to boost broadband internet access to
the citizenry, reports ITRealms.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of
NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, gave this insight at a media parley with media
executives and practitioners in Kano at the weekend, to cover North East, North
West, South East, South South and South West.
Whilst admitting that data
transmission speed is yet to meet the required standard, he assured, there is
little to worry about, stressing that NCC has plans to improve internet
connectivity in the country through pervasive broadband availability.
In
line with his 8-point agenda, he noted that NCC, had already licenced two infrastructure companies (Infracos) for Lagos
and North Central and will in the course of 2016 licence infracos for North
East, North West, South East, South South and South West”. Incentives are being
packaged by Government for these potential operators to assist them to launch
services and make broadband internet very readily available especially in the
major cities”.
“We
look forward to when internet connectivity will be free and I know we will get
there”.
Addressed
the media in both English and Hausa languages, Danbatta said data transmission through
broadband is the next revolution in the Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) sector, adding “we have repackaged policies to fuel this
growth and our 8-point agenda takes very care of this, Internet will not only be available, it will
be accessible and affordable”.
He
also said that ICT is certain to remove Nigeria from the outskirts of
globalization to the competitive one.
“Our
plans are to make broadband internet ubiquitous,” he declared.
He
maintained that the commission’s 8-point agenda which covers 2015 to 2020
planned to bring about social benefits and inclusiveness for national
development through broadband penetration.
Danbatta
pointed out that the agenda would facilitate broadband penetration, improve
quality of service, optimize usage and benefits of spectrum, promote ICT
innovation and investment opportunities in the country, the NCC’s Executive
Vice Chairman, explained unveiling the agenda in Kano.
Just
as in Lagos during the international conference recently, Danbatta insisted
that the new set vision will foster wealth creation, application of human
knowledge and creativity is steadily out-spacing wealth creation through
extraction and processing of natural resources, adding that ICT has immense
socio-economic role to play in national development.
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