By JUSTIN ERADIRI
Maximizing broadband for economicIt is the desire of both citizens and the state that the advancements recorded in the telecoms sector since 2001 should be consolidated beyond telephony and ancillary services.
Nigerians are looking to upgrade to a full multimedia platform, leveraging on the broadband to maximise the capacities of their smart phones and other devices in video streaming, internet radio, information download and upload, etc. Yes, we need that extra byte, that strength that speeds up our navigation and research on the web, that delivers us out of the callously slow, small and near unproductive byte allocations our GSM networks currently permit us.
Therefore, the recently approved broadband policy is a welcome development. The presentation of Nigeria’s broadband ambitions and the invitation by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the 2013 ITU World Telecom forum in Bangkok, Thailand, was a commendable preparatory step. At the event, the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Eugene Juwah, invited the world to take up the investment opportunities that exist in that spectrum of the nation’s ICT industry.
Broadband connectivity confers an array of benefits on economic and social activities in both private and public sectors of the economy. For the public sector for instance, it can be the backbone on which e-governance can be practicalised. Decision making, policy formulation and directives could be easily reached without persons needing to converge in a particular place for meetings.
At reduced cost and faster link-up, meetings can be held with participants in different locations through teleconferencing. Even though this is already taking place, it is still minimally effective due to the preponderance of narrow band connectivity and sundry challenges.
In the media industry, digital broadcasting can become a reality with the full implementation of the broadband policy. Digital migration from analogue broadcasting has been in the pipeline with repeatedly shifted timelines partly due to the narrow carrying capacity of the nation’s ICT base. The digital switch-over, is now expected in 2015.
Part of the challenges facing the full scale implementation of the cashless policy initiated by the Central Bank of Nigeria, is the lack of IT infrastructural backbone with a bandwidth that could make cashless transactions a reality in all ramifications.
Thus, with more reliable IT facilities, the use of POS machines, credit/debit cards, online and remote transactions will be greatly encouraged. It is common knowledge that most Nigerians in urban centres still fear and avoid the use of ATMs because of unstable data and connectivity problems, similar to what they experience with their mobile phones.
In the private sector (and it must be emphasised here that this sector has made more advancement in the deployment of information and communications technology compared to its public counterpart), broadband deployment would significantly reduce the cost of business and facilitate faster and more reliable service delivery. Thus, as the Minister for Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson has aptly noted, ‘increased broadband penetration has a direct correlation with increased economic activities and GDP contributions’.
According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a thorough approach to broadband policy can include the timely adoption of national strategies encouraging national backbone roll-out, spectrum policies and practices, subsidies, taxes, user skills and trust, applications and content, competition policy, and other aspects of infrastructure, including backhaul and access.
As the telecoms sector regulator, this is the point at which the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) becomes more relevant. Effective policy and regulatory frameworks, could act as vital levers to facilitate the development of broadband connectivity.
NCC can leverage on its relationship with the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), because broadcasting has a lot of frequencies assigned by the National Frequency Management Board (NFMB) and NCC as well as NBC, are supervised by the same ministry. The digital migration of broadcasting will free up a lot of broadcast frequencies which can then be assigned for broadband. This migration, according to NCC, will be the “digital dividend” that would wrest a lot of frequencies as the switch-over will give a lot of spectrum.
The NCC will have to ensure that liberalisation of the market encompasses all key elements of the broadband service delivery: international gateway, national and regional backbone, and Internet access. Fortunately, it has ensured a robust competitive environment among telecom operators in the country. Competition boosts broadband penetration and is the key driver of higher levels of uptake and investment in communication networks and services in many countries.
Given the speed with which the ICT sector has grown, there should be updates and revision of regulatory frameworks. Nigeria would need to update its legislative and regulatory frameworks to provide businesses and users proper protection of personal data amongst other issues. A well regulated system will enable the private sector to provide universal connectivity and extend connectivity to less populated or less developed regions, thus providing universal access.
With the inauguration of the Broadband Council by the Federal Government to implement Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan from 2013 to 2018, the stage is set.
The Minister of Communications Technology is very optimistic, describing the National Broadband Plan as robust and implementable. She said at its inauguration that the plan had been widely circulated and has received positive feedback from the ITU, the Global System for Communications Association (GSMA), as well as other international bodies.
“The terms of reference of the council include providing periodic progress report on the evaluation of the plan, facilitating the coordination and collaboration of the various stakeholders during plan implementation; ensuring that relevant agencies and institutions are actively engaged and monitoring the progress of the plan and highlighting adjustment areas if any.”
According to Johnson, the institutions include the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) and the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria and all key institutions to the delivery of the broadband plan.
She said other partners included the Nigerian Communication Commission, the Universal Service Provision Fund and the National Information Technology Development Agency, adding that the council would be chaired by the minister.
The goal of the broadband plan is to have pervasive mobile broadband access to 80 percent of the population and fix broadband access to roughly 20 percent of the population, mostly by the year 2017.
Eradiri is a telecoms sector pundit based in Port-Harcourt. growth
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