The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to host a stakeholder engagement forum ahead of the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G).
Specifically, the Commission will engage with the relevant stakeholders in the industry to examine the draft Information Memorandum (IM) for the upcoming auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band.
IM is a comprehensive document, which defines the process put in place by the Commission for the auctioning of the 3.5GHz spectrum band.
It also provides information on the telecoms market, details of the spectrum to be made available, the pre-qualification process, the auction process as well as the indicative timetable.
The decision to host the engagement is in keeping with the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 and NCC’s distinctive tradition of robust stakeholder consultation on all telecom regulation-related issues.
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In June, the Commission inaugurated a committee to develop the IM for the auction of 3.5 GHz spectrum band, which will be used for early deployment of 5G technology services in the country.
The engagement forum is, therefore, an important regulatory prerequisite for the planned auction of the spectrum before the end of this year.
Accordingly, the Commission has called on interested stakeholders and members of the public to participate and make contributions to discussions around this important draft document.
The 5G technology is expected to facilitate several emerging technologies, generate innovative new use cases, spur significant socio-economic growth and create jobs.
According to the Director of Public Affairs at NCC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, the forum scheduled for Lagos Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, will hold on November 4, 2021.