From Blessing Olaifa, Abuja
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and a consortium of Infrastructural Companies (InfraCos) are shopping for about N265 billion to develop broadband infrastructure in the country, it was gathered on Thursday.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta who spoke in Abuja, said the Commission would raise N65 billion as counterpart funding subject to the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), while the InfraCos would raise the balance of N200 billion.
Speaking while granting audience to the Ambassador of Sweden in Nigeria, Mr Carl Michael Grans, at the Headquarters of the Commission, Prof Danbatta said the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative falls under the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative which was designed to address infrastructural deficits in the telecommunications sector.
Describing the project as ambitious as it would cut across the states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the 774 local government councils, he said payment would be made to the InfraCos handling the projects upon attainment of certain milestones.
He said the project is not only expected to tranform the telecoms industry, but engender socio-economic transformation of the country.
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Prof Danbatta said: “ We see the InfraCo project as a much more ambitious broadband initiative of government; we have gone very far with it as PPP project based on the recommendation by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and payment will be based on attainment of milestones depending on what a particular InfraCo has done.
“If we can get this done successfully in the next four years, we would have succeeded in transforming the country in multiple ways, especially in managing energy, education, transportation and the environment and meeting some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And because broadband is so desirable, we hope to see the financial inclusion rate increase significantly as well as mobile money services and this would of course transform our society. “
Speaking on the adoption of 5G technology in the country, Prof Danbatta said the current trial stage which is being pioneered by MTN Nigeria is becoming competitive as Glo Mobile has also indicated interest to try the technology, adding however that the technology cannot be deployed without commensurate infrastructure in place.
He said the NCC is working on the assignment of three spectrums for the possible roll out of 5G infrastuctures but added that a statement would be made available to the public on the success of the current trial before then.
According to Prof. Danbatta, while the NCC is concerned about 5G coverage, spectrum assignments, levels of power and levels of radiation, the security agencies are currently monitoring the trial stage of the technology because of its far reaching implications for the country.
He said there are genuine concerns about the safety and security of networks, challenges of cyber security, frauds, and other issues, asserting that Nigeria remains a huge market for 5G technology by its population and the volume of business transactions in the country.
The NCC chief told the envoy that NCC and other agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy would like to partner with the Swedish government in the area of capacity building for its workers in that Sweden is rated as one of the seven most developed in the world in terms of broadband infrastructures.
In his remarks, the envoy assured that Sweden would do all that is necessary to support the Nigerian government in terms of broadband infrastructures as it would help transform its economy, and promote trade and investments between the two countries.
He however expressed concern on the security of broadband infrastructures in the country especially the type needed in support of the deployment of 5G technology, saying that it was one of the issues of focus at a recent meeting in Germany by stakeholders in the industry.
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