By Adekunle Aromolaran
On Monday, February 10, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) announced that slots of 25MHz bandwidth are available in the 3.5Ghz band in 27 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It was further gathered that the frequency will be licensed on a state by state basis, thus interested stakeholders were advised to submit their applications. The 27 states listed by the NCC are: Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Zamfara, Taraba, Yobe and Sokoto.
With this notification, the era of broadband spectrum revolution in Nigeria has kick-started.
For starters, broadband technology is the use of wide range electromagnetic frequencies in transferring large amounts of data at high speed. According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), to qualify as a broadband computer network or internet access technology, the standard of a high-speed frequency should have “instantaneous bandwidths greater than 1MHz and supporting data rates greater than about 1.5MB per second”. Broadband spectrum is the worldwide information and communications network, which includes the Internet, private networks and proprietary online services. It allows for rapid sending of diverse types of data – voice, video, text, etc. It is what is widely referred to as the information superhighway.
Nigeria’s journey towards linking the information superhighway began in 2012, when the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, unveiled the Nigerian broadband master plan. It was a detailed roadmap which has as its core, the Open Access Model (OAM) adopted by NCC in achieving a successful take off of Nigeria’s broadband revolution. To enable Nigeria compete favourably in the global knowledge grid, earlier frameworks developed to facilitate the nation’s active participation in world’s broadband community were embedded into the OAM. They include the State Accelerated Initiative and the Wire Nigeria Initiative. The NCC promised then that broadband would be a reality in Nigeria by the first quarter of 2014, and, indeed, here we are.
In the last 13 years, there has been rapid transformation in the way we access and share information, ushered in by the advent of the global system for mobile communication (GSM). Even at the unprecedented progress made in the telecommunications sector, experts have continued to intimate Nigerians of greater potentials in the country’s ICT sector. One of them is this broadband spectrum licensing. Observers predict that if the necessary infrastructure is put in place and a high level of penetration is achieved across the country, the nation would be on its way to an improved Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as a massive development of its knowledge economy. The NCC itself has said it hopes to achieve affordable pricing, high-speed connectivity and high level of coverage and targeted government support.
Every country, whether developing or developed, should have access to high-performance, affordable and dependable broadband. It is a goal the GSMA says governments around the world should embrace, because without it “the mobile industry cannot deliver a rich and dynamic mobile future for all”. There are countless advantages in switching to a technology that provides high-speed wireless internet access or computer networking access over a wide area. Today, there is still a wide digital divide between developed and developing countries. This is what the NCC is trying to bridge because, according to ITU secretary general, HamadounTouré, increased internet penetration is not just important for cultural development, but also for an enhanced society.
Already, there is a huge demand gap for broadband services in Nigeria. It will no doubt activate the availability of innovative and evolving ICT services, with direct effect on learning, manpower, commerce and industry, banking, agriculture and healthcare services. It is therefore important for stakeholders in the industry to adequately prepare a mechanism that would enable Nigeria and Nigerians to maximise the advantage of belonging to the global broadband community. One expects astute investors and institutions in the 27 states and the FCT where the bandwidths will be rolled out to grab the opportunity presented by this new first. Since the frequency licensing would be done on a state by state basis, governors should not be left out of the broadband revolution, because it guarantees rapid socio-economic growth and development. They can be part of this impending success story by providing certain incentives to investors.
Nigerians who have had the pleasure of using broadband services overseas know that it is a whole new experience, far superior to the dial-up system in use at present. As we eagerly await this new chapter in our national life, it is crucial for all involved to understand the common good in placing Nigeria on the world’s technology map.
•Aromalaran, an ICT research analyst wrote in from Ibadan
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