The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Digital

  • COSON holds digital music summit

    COSON holds digital music summit

    THE Federal Government has been urged to implement the provisions of the Copyright Order, 2012 to compensate right owners for the private copying of their works. The call was made at the Nigerian Digital Music Summit held on Tuesday at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Convened by the Copyright Society of Nigeria with the theme; Establishing the Basic Rules of Engagement in the Digital Environment, the two-day event provided an opportunity for key players in the production and distribution of music to engage with copyright experts from around the world to deliberate on the rules of engagement in the digital environment so as to ensure that practitioners who are involved in the value chain in Nigeria get a fair deal and to guarantee the stability and sustainable growth of the Nigerian music industry.

    Papers were presented by experts on various topics, including: Understanding How the Digital Music Business Works in Nigeria by Mr. Audu Maikori; Aggregating Music for the Digital Market Place by Mr. Lawrence Wilbert; The Digital Music Market Place and Copyright by Mrs. Tarja Koskinen-Olsson; Digital Music Licensing: Current Issues by Mrs. Inger Elise Mey; Monetization of the Digital Exploitation of Musical Works and Sound Recordings as it Affects Creators and Publishers, Performers and Record Companies by Mr. Rob Hooijer; Employment Opportunities in a Structured Music Industry by Mr. Yunusa S. Labaran; and Monetising Music in the Internet Age: The CAPASSO South Africa Experience by Ms. Nothando Migogo.

    At the end of the summit, a fifteen point resolution was adopted by the participants. The resolutions which cover a wide range of issues that affect the music industry, among other things, urged the Nigerian Copyright Commission to take into cognizance the emerging platforms and the challenges of exploitation in the digital environment and provide a clear, simple and functional licensing regime on these platforms.

    Participants at the Summit included musicians, music producers, label owners, copyright administrators, rights managers, music aggregators, telecommunications companies, legal practitioners, advertising practitioners and government officials.

  • Samsung, Redeemer’s varsity partner on digital learning

    Samsung, Redeemer’s varsity partner on digital learning

    Samsung Electronics West Africa, in partnership with Redeemer’s University (RUN), Ede, Osun State, has inaugurated 30 electronic boards in the school. It is a joint initiative aimed at improving students’ learning experience.

    The e-boards come with easy-to-use immersive technology for the digital classroom. The new technology in the classroom, according to Samsung, is set to change dramatically how students learn and teachers pass on instructions.

    Samsung launched the ‘Classroom digitisation’ in collaboration with one of its key partners, Beecit Solutions, who also worked to deliver advanced solutions for the digital classroom.

    The widespread adoption of tablets, mobile applications, social networks and digital content is having a profound effect on students around the world, including Nigeria.

    Director, Samsung Enterprise Business, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr Charles Ojei, said the collaboration would meet students’ expectations for an interactive learning environment.

    “We are committed to partnering with this university to ensure that you achieve your goals in terms of digitization,” Ojei said.

    The Samsung e-boards are in-built with powerful software that provides simplified direct access to e-books, CDs, videos, animations, images, PowerPoint presentations, learning materials and internet content.

    “The e-boards will help to deliver rich content and interactivity to the classrooms. It will also provide the teachers with greater control over their classrooms and increase student engagement while ensuring a more efficient transfer of materials to students. It will aid more participation, more efficient communication and an improved classroom management and performance,” said Head, Enterprise Display Solutions, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Anu-Rotimi Agboola.

    Thirty e-boards have been launched at Redeemer’s University, making them the first institution in Nigeria with the largest e-board distribution.

    The RUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adebowale Adeyewa, said he expected the facilities to help the students learn better.

    “Redeemer’s University is committed to bringing new technology closer to our students, while shaping their destinies.

    Our partnership with Samsung is yet another step in this direction. We believe that this collaborative learning environment will improve students’ retention rates.”

    Speaking for the students, President, Redeemer’s University Students Association, Samuel Akinnuga, said: “We can proudly say that our future starts now. We are also proud of the management for its effort at providing qualitative education for us.”

  • March to digital transition on course, says NBC chief

    March to digital transition on course, says NBC chief

    • Nigeria ‘to earn N320b’

    • ‘No spectrum sale to MTN’

    Nigeria’s march to achieving digital switch-over (DSO) is on course, the Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Emeka Mba, said yesterday, adding insecurity and expensive political activities made adequate funding to prosecute the programme impossible.

    Mba who spoke yesterday in Lagos also said when DSO is achieved it will fetch the Federal Government N320billion cash and create no fewer than 30,000 jobs.

    The DG who also denied selling spectrum to MTN, said the Commission’s regulatory function does not extend to the sale of spectrum. He said what the Commission did was merely to licence MTN to use part of the 700megahetz (MHz) frequency to do digital pay TV broadcasting services from which it sought and got the permission of former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Communications Technology Minister, Dr Omobola Johnson in her capacity as the chair of the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC).

    He said the Commission raised N34billion from the transaction, adding that the fund would be deployed to pursuing the achievement of the DSO.

    He said: “We have successfully licensed Nigeria Ltd to use a part of the 700 MHz to provide digital pay TV broadcasting services. We have thus raised N34 billion, slightly less than 50 per cent of our budget. Through this singular move, Nigeria has once again pointed the way for other African countries struggling with the effort of finding financing for their own digital switchover programmes.”

    He regretted that Nigeria missed the June 17 deadline set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for all its member-countries to switch off analogue transmission, lamenting that it was not until June 17, 2012 that the White Paper giving direction to the process came out.

    “Again, we continued doing those things we could which included engaging and sensitising the broadcast sector, setting out the technical specifications for the set top box and putting in place then Electronic Programme Guide system, in addition to a successful pilot project in Jos, Plateau State.  All this while, we were waiting for the financing of our budget of N70billion from government (which never came).

    “Meanwhile, we have now coordinated another agreement with our West African neighbours and have agreed on a new deadline of June 20, 2017 to complete the digital switchover and achieve analogue switch off.

    “When it became obvious that government could not spare the money, and in order to avoid missing another deadline, we began to consider other options. Our broadcast frequency, which is to eventually form part of the digital dividend after the DSO, had portions of it lying fallow while our broadcasters were still using parts of it.”

    Nigeria’s self-funding DSO programme will in the long term, create a N320 billion cash yearly, stressing that consumers also will receive over 30 new free to air channels per annum for the price of a N1500 set top box (STB). He said a host of other value added services such as news, information and video on demand.

    Mba said a leading digital economy is established from the development of a whole TV and content ecosystem, adding that N200 billion yearly boost from additional advertising, content and Nollywood income streams

    He added that the development of high tech STB manufacturing industry will create jobs while the Federal Government will earn N100 billion income from spectrum sales (digital dividend)

    “A thriving digital economy generating at least 55,000highly skilled jobs will be created too. I want to assure that with the current arrangement through which we have secured more than half of our budgetary needs to transit, and as we explore other avenues, we are confident that the new date is achievable,” Mba said.

  • 80% of ad executives battle digital challenges

    About 65 per cent of marketing and advertising job roles are expected to change in the next five years while approximately 80 per cent of advertising and media executives are struggling to reinvent themselves in the digital marketing space, said Street Toolz Digital Centre (SDC).

    To remain relevant in the competitive market, the centre urged brands and agencies to hire more digital talents to excel in today’s competitive digital-driven economy.

    To help agencies overcome some of the challenges of migrating to digital space, the agency said it is offering Free Digital Marketing Masterclass in partnership with Digital Marketing Institute (DMI), Ireland all over Nigeria to help marketing firms, advertising agencies and brands reinvent themselves in today’s fast driven digital marketing economy.

    The Centre’s Director of Training, Babajide Alaka, said the centre’s commitment to a digital Nigeria and contribution to the Integrated Marketing Communications industry, in partnership with the world‘s leading digital training organisation DMI will be offering free the tailored Digital Marketing Masterclass to PR, media, advertising and marketing executives to enhance their understanding of digital marketing landscape, digital PR, digital strategy, digital trends, search marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing, digital budgeting, content marketing, agency de-liverables and brand expectation among others.

    Alaka disclosed that all participants would also have the opportunity to take a practical digital diagnostic test to benchmark their current skills with global industry standards and to determine their individual digital skills level. Thereafter, custom training solutions will be advised and recommended for the agency or individual.

    He  further explained that already, agencies and brands, such as Dana Airlines; KIA Motors; Golden Lite; Property Mart; Renault Motors; Fuel Communications; Verdant Zeal; Eslia Communications; TBWA; Creative Xone; Mediacraft Associates and Brand Journalist Association of Nigeria (BJAN) amongst others have all benefited from the Centre’s Digital Marketing Agency Masterclass.

    The Business Director of TBWA, Mr. Osibo Imhoitsike, praised the effort of the centre, adding that the training has shown him and his agency that there needed to be a digital revolution in their midst instead of a digital culling.

    The Chief Marketing Officer of Street Toolz, Jerry Oche, however, said the centre aims to reinvent marketers and change the phase of marketing/advertising in Nigeria with the considerable digital talents and strategic insights of Street Toolz and the global teaching modules standard of Digital Marketing Institute.

    The Founder/President of the DMI,   Ian Dodson, said: “Street Toolz, with its knowledge of the industry and the numerous subject matter experts was a prime candidate for Digital Marketing Institute’s partnership.”

  • Why students need digital media skills

    Why students need digital media skills

    Veterans and young media professionals, last Thursday, converged on the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for this year’s edition of Communicators for Christ Fellowship (CFC) academic summit. The event, which was held in the main auditorium, had the theme: The digital age media: A marriage of skills opportunities and technology.

    It featured panel of discussion on pressing media issues, drama, award presentation and exhibition.

    CFC President, Ayomide Ekerin, said the event was aimed at keeping students abreast of development in the media. He said the summit would enable participants to learn the workings of the digital media.

    The keynote speaker, Mr Kola Oyeyemi, who spoke on the theme, said there had been gradual shift from traditional media to digital media, saying media convergence was growing with the development of social media.

    He said: “Eighty-five per cent of communication done globally is done via mobile phones. By 2020, the major means of communication will be mobile devices. The platforms are changing every day. Students must begin to think out of the box and break new grounds. You must possess the requisite skills to tap into the available opportunities in the digital media age.”

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Rahmon Bello, represented by the Dean, Students’ Affairs, Prof Tunde Babawale, commended the students for organising the summit, noting that it would help students to acquire modern skills of communication.

    The Head of Mass Communication Department, Dr Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, said the department understood the dynamism of the media world, which was why it initiated programmes to help students acquire skills they would not learn in classroom.

    The panel of discussion, which was moderated by Fola Afolayan of 99.3 Nigeria Info, had Mrs Olabisi Deji-Folutile, Saturday Punch Editor, Chude Jideonwo, Chief Executive Officer of Red Media Africa and Mr Yomi Badejo of CMC Connect.

    Others are Managing Director of Noah’s Ark Communications, Lanre Adisa and Deputy Director Programmes at Television Continental, Mrs. Morayo Afolabi-Brown.

    The fellowship presented distinguished personality award to some of the facilitators. Participants were also presented certificates of attendance.

    A participant, Kafilah Jimoh, 100-Level Mass Communication, said she the summit afforded her to learn new techniques in digital photography session.

  • Digital marketing to hit $10b by 2020

    Digital marketing to hit $10b by 2020

    Nigeria’s digital marketing may hit $10 billion by 2020, the Executive Vice President, Digital of Porter Novelli, a global network of public relations firms, Mr Jesse Soleil, has said.

    He said the value of the platform stands at $2 billion, hence, brands and marketing communications practitioners must incorporate it in their marketing strategies.

    However, Soleil said his network has made some achievements in its digital marketing campaigns because it focused on the needs and behaviours of its target audience.

    During a working visit to Nigeria, Soleil said he observed that the major factor inhibiting the growth of digital marketing is how marketing communication practitioners treat digital marketing.

    He said: “Many marketing communication practitioners focus on the wrong indices – reach, impressions etc. – paying little or no attention to their target audience and what they want. We have to remember that digital marketing is still marketing and putting the digital in front of it doesn’t stop it from being marketing, and think about what the audience wants.”

    He called on practitioners to switch from traditional methods by focusing on the behaviours of our target audience on the mobile, social, and digital media platforms and design strategies that take cognisance of these behaviours to deliver on their objectives and grow the industry.

    Soleil said the future of marketing communications depends on the seamless integration of digital marketing into marketing communication and the use of live experiences to inspire audiences to take desired actions.

    He further said public relations professionals must understand how the digital media work and structure their content to fit these platforms for the successful delivery of campaigns.

    The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, C&F Porter Novelli, Nn’emeka Maduegbuna, said C&F Porter Novelli realises that the importance of digital media in executing marketing communication campaigns, which informed the capacity building for its staff in digital marketing.

  • ‘Embrace digital brand marketing’

    The Managing Director of MediaReach OMD, Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya, has advised marketing communication practitioners who are yet to embrace digital brand marketing to do so.

    Ogunkoya spoke during the Google Day organised by MediaReach and Google as part of efforts by both firms to improve clients’ businesses with digital brand marketing tools.

    He noted that there were still  players who are undecided about the relevance of digital brand marketing despite its importance in  marketing communication.

    His words: “It is high time we decided to take active steps in the interest of our corporations.”

    He said the deal between Google and MediaReach was meant to exchange ideas on the survival strategies for  brands now that the players were faced with stiff competition not only in Nigeria, but also in other parts of the world.

    Addressing staff members of the two companies, the Country Manager, Google, Juliet Chiazor, said it was imperative for any organisation that would survive to develop a strategic marketing campaign that could stand out in the competitive market.

    She noted that customers were faced with about 2,000 marketing messages streamed on various communication platforms daily.

    Chiazor said for any player to excel, its communication must be appropriate and target at the right audience.

    She said Google upholds innovation in its dealings because it is aware of dynamism of various markets the world over.

    Chiazor said Google has solutions that corporations could use to achieve their goals in the target markets. Some of those solutions, according to her, are: Google Voice Search; Google Maps; Google Now; and Google Photo Sphere.

    She declared that television viewership was declining as audiences were shifting online.

    Specifically, she said there was an increase of 60 percent of online video streaming that customers are faced with.

    “Brand building elements still entail awareness and emotional engagement just as the case with traditional marketing platforms”, she added. Based on this, she advised that video should be seen as an integral part of brand building and should be used more in brand communication.

    Meanwhile, the Chief Digital Officer of MediaReach OMD, Patrick Gomes, has acknowledged that social media has a very important role to play in placing corporations ahead of competition in the market.

    His words: “At MediaReach OMD, we are aware of the new trend towards digital marketing as the future of brand communication. We already have channeled our process towards the development and our clients have started benefiting from the initiative.”

  • How to bridge rural-urban digital divide, by HIS Towers

    Executive Vice Chairman & Group CEO, HIS Towers, Issam Darwish, has said one of the best ways to bridge existing digital gap between rural and urban communities in the country is through the deployment of mobile application to the agriculture sector that engages the mass of the people.

    Darwish who spoke against the backdrop of the firm’s sponsorship of a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit with Enabling a More Productive Nigeria: Powering SMEs as its title, said the launch of the report coincided with the World Economic Forum on Africa, which sets out the factors that empower small and medium enterprises (‘SMEs’) and looks to identify both what is driving growth as well as the issues that are holding them back.

    He said: “One way to lessen the urban-rural digital divide is to deepen the application of mobile to agriculture, the sector in which the majority of Nigeria’s rural dwellers work. Combined with improved mobile networks in rural regions, the penetration of ICT across wider geographies will significantly support favourable income distribution trends throughout the continent.

    “Many of us are interested in Nigeria’s future prosperity, yet little is known about the universe of Nigerian SMEs and the entrepreneurs behind them, particularly the obstacles and enablers of their growth.

    “This report recognises the efforts of government institutions in supporting SMEs but also importantly shines a light on the innovative thinking embedded in this vital part of Nigeria’s economy. It helps us all to understand what can be done to support their growth and drive their productivity.

    “The importance of mobile telecommunications and its role as a leapfrog technology is readily apparent from this study, affirming our belief that an enhanced mobile network materially contributes to the growth of both urban and rural businesses, with the potential to reduce societal inequality.

    “For IHS this report is fundamental to our business. Our belief is that the future economic and social development of Africa will be accelerated exponentially by mobile connectivity, and our team of over 2,000 engineers in five countries is focused on making this happen. We are committed to developing the communities we serve, and to help people and businesses across the region build a powerful, prosperous future.”

    He said the report looks at SME productivity across five categories – policy, transport, technology, energy and finance, combining SME interviews from across the country, with expert insights.

    According to him, the findings suggest that Nigeria’s government has supported SMEs by reducing the costs of registering a business and through the launch of SME-targeted funds, adding however that further attention should be given to the tax system because Nigerian SMEs are subject to complex and overlapping rules which need to be streamlined and simplified.

    In addition, import and customs charges are often unpredictable and costly, placing an additional burden on businesses, with no recourse available through official channels, he lamented.

    On infrastructure, the report explores how SMEs are being affected by mobile networks, transport and power deficits. While transport projects and power privatisation are underway, these will take time to deliver benefits. In the interim, SMEs are adopting innovative technologies – from solar panels to cloud computing. ICTs in particular are being used for remote work, mobile marketing and new product development such as apps and mobile services. The next technology productivity boost will come from strengthening ICT network quality across Nigeria’s territory.

  • Nigeria ready for digital economy, says Smile Communication chief

    Nigeria’s 4G or long term evolution (LTE) broadband provider, Smile Communications has described the Nigeria’s digital economy as huge, and will impact virtually all segments of the economy.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. Michiel Buitelaar, who spoke in Lagos, said in the face of dwindling oil revenue and increasing pressure on the economy as shown in budget deficits, infrastructural deficit, high unemployment rate, harsh business environment, corruption, among others, leveraging on digital economy should be regarded as a sine qua non for sustaining the economy by the incoming administration of Muhammed Buhari.

    Mr. Buitelaar spoke during a panel discussion at the sixth Annual Pan-African 1:1 Investor Conference organised by Renaissance Capital and identified infrastructural advancement as overriding factor for the immediate expansion of sectors such as agriculture, transportation, banking & finance, healthcare/medicine and education.

    He said Smile Communications aligns itself with the key statistics expected for the Nigerian Digital Economy by 2018 as released by the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, especially for the emergence of an industry that is less fragmented.

    According to the National Broadband Plan (NBP), the government expects to attain 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018 from the present current about six per cent.

    “There are various advantages the digital economic providers have over the traditional. However, to make this happen faster, there are catalysts required for it to even drive other sectors outside the ICT. Digital economy will be the driver of the agricultural, transport, health-care/medicine, education, banking & finance, among others. In our company, for instance, we are talking to companies in those sectors and one recently said ‘the software is eating the world’.

    “We do believe the new digital ICT will influence other sectors. For example, in agriculture; like I have seen in other countries, the efficiency and productivity is very likely to explode once the digital economy has entered into the arena. It is also our expectation that the impact will become more pronounced within the next 10 years. For emphasis, sectors such as agricultural, transport, health-care/medicine, education, commerce, in fact, the whole move of digitisation will have impact on the emerging economy and Nigeria’s economy is well positioned to make their journey better than many others,” he said.

    Buitelaar lauded the outgoing government for approving the NBP, expressing confidence in the Buhari government’s compelling posture for its implementation of the plans.

    He said: “I think the Federal Government did well, especially, by releasing a NBP. The next government should continue with the plan in an even ‘forceful’ manner. Similarly, spectrum allocations should be looked at too; it is more of technical, but very important in the nation’s quest for more ubiquitous broadband. There are sub-sectors that the broadband availability will immediately impact their operations such as the delivery of ecommerce, e-payment, education and other clusters of business. These are crucial reasons the digital economy should be allowed to blossom.

    “Nigeria is a wonderful country. The incoming government should do something regarding the image of the country and its perception in the eyes of the rest of the world. That alone is capable of convincing foreign investors about the country’s business climate. Secondly, on infrastructure, I do believe that the whole country will benefit in smart investments in infrastructure. There are issues in transport, power and payment systems; if these issues can be addressed, with a couple of other commitments, I believe that in the next few years, the country will be reaping large chunk of benefits from them,” he added.

  • Will ‘digital dividends’ ever come?

    Will ‘digital dividends’ ever come?

    In the telecoms and broadcast industries, frequencies are considered scarce resources. Their availability and judicious deployment are expected to deepen broadband internet services across the country. However, this depends on the release of broadcast spectrum known as ’digital dividends’ by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), writes LUCAS AJANAKU.

    TELECOMS global body, the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), says broadcast frequencies’ sale as a result of digital switch over (DSO) could fetch the country over $2 billion.

    The group also said with the release of digital dividend spectrum, sub-Saharan Africa could grow its gross domestic product (GDP) yearly by $82 billion by 2025; earnings by about $18 billion in tax revenues and creating no fewer than 27 million jobs.

    Digital dividends spectrum is the frequency band located in 700m egahertz (MHz) spectrum band. It has been internationally adjudged to be very useful in deploying high-speed internet services globally.

    The spectrum was approved by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an arm of the United Nations (UN), for mobile broadband deployment about three years ago for its member-countries.

    In Nigeria and other countries, this spectrum bands is in the possession of the broadcast industry, which will implement the DSO of ITU by July 17, this year.

    However, a pall of uncertainty hangs over whether Nigeria will join the rest of ITU member-countries to switch off analogue transmitters’ televison sets.

    An official of the NCC, who craved anonymity, lamented that this all-important spectrum bands are still in the hands of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).  “As at today, none of these frequencies has been released in spite of the fact that we are getting so close to DSO. Besides, we are not sure yet whether any of these broadcast media is ready for digital transmission,” the source lamented.

    NBC’s Director-General, Emeka Mba, said the nation will achieve DSO, adding that more than 26 per cent of the population was already doing digital transmission while the huge mass with analogue transmitters and television sets have their fates hanging in the balance. Inview Technologies of the United Kingdom (UK) and a consortium of indigenous broadcasters, have been contracted to provide set top boxes and make available the software that will make the provision of key service available.

    Since spectrum availability is closely linked with broadband infrastructure development, the freeing up of the locked 700Mhz frequency will, no doubt, complement current efforts by the country to increase broadband penetration from about eight per cent to 30 per cent by 2018. This is in line with the Federal Government’s target contained in the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

    If the 700Mhz frequencies are taken over from the NBC, it will first be handed over to the National Frequency Management Commission (NFMC) which is the custodian of all frequencies in the country. It is under the Ministry of Communications Technology and currently chaired by Communications Technology Minister, Dr. (Mrs) Omobola Johnson.

    The NFMC, then, decides what slots it gives out to the NCC for allocation according in line with global best practices, especially as stipulated by the ITU.

    President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi, said releasing the spectrum bands to investors that will roll-out service on them will add a new fillip to the industry, especially now that the next revenue frontier of the  industry has shifted from voice to data.

    He said: “It will be an advantage for the country if these spectrum bands are released by the appropriate authority for NCC to allocate to would-be applicants.”

    NCC’s  Director, Spectrum Administration, Austine Nwaulune, said June 17 DSO deadline is a global phenomenon, stressing that any analogue station that failed to migrate ran the risk of losing ITU’s protection, warning that “and if Nigeria causes interference, it will be sanctioned.”

    But the truth of the matter is that the digital dividends are not yet available and NCC cannot give what it does not have. In the light of this, the regulator said it has commenced consultation with stakeholders on the best way to allocate the spectrum bands ahead of its expected release by the NFMC.

     

    Declaration of broadband year

    The Federal Government earlier declared this year as Broadband Year. For carriers, the most technically-advanced technology for broadband offering is the LTE or 4G.

    LTE, an acronym for Long-Term Evolution, commonly marketed as 4G LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals.

    Online knowledge encyclopaedia, Wikipedia defined LTE as “the natural upgrade path for carriers with both GSM/UMTS networks and CDMA2000 networks. The different LTE frequencies and bands used in different countries will mean that only multi-band phones will be able to use LTE in all countries where it is supported.

    “Although marketed as a 4G wireless service, LTE (as specified in the 3GPP Release 8 and 9 document series) does not satisfy the technical requirements the 3GPP consortium has adopted for its new standard generation, and which were originally set forth by the ITU-R organisation in its IMT-Advanced specification. However, due to marketing pressures and the significant advancements that WiMAX, HSPA+ and LTE bring to the original 3G technologies, ITU later decided that LTE together with the aforementioned technologies can be called 4G technologies. “The LTE Advanced standard formally satisfies the ITU-R requirements to be considered IMT-Advanced. To differentiate LTE Advanced and WiMAX-Advanced from current 4G technologies, ITU has defined them as “True 4G”.

    Experts say LTE can support downloads at 300 megabits per second (Mbps) or more based on experimental trials. However, the actual network bandwidth available to an individual LTE subscriber sharing the service provider’s network with other customers is significantly less.

    According to latest Ericsson Mobility Report, there will be 9.3 billion mobile subscriptions in 2019, adding that 65 per cent of the global population will have LTE coverage by that same year.

    GSMA’s March last year report indicated that there were 279 commercially-launched LTE networks in 101 countries and 482 LTE network commitments in 147 countries.

    Experts say for telecoms end-users, LTE services will give them a superior user experience when it comes to stability, throughput, and latency. The increased capacity will bring new and better services to users.

    For carriers, LTE offers them the advantage of a proof network delivering capacity, throughput and redefined user experience that creates new business opportunities and revenues. The technology offers low long-term capital outlya and operational costs.

    On the development, a telecoms analyst, Mr. Akin Akinbo, said: “The introduction of LTE is an evolutionary step, rather than revolutionary, as large parts of existing infrastructure is re-used providing a future-proof technology path for flexible migration of services between 2G, 3G and 4G mobile technologies. But in order to meet customer expectations and demands for capacity and speed tomorrow, all major players need to put an LTE strategy in place.”

    In addition to the efforts being made to ensure the availability of 700Mhz, the NCC early this year convened a stakeholders’ consultative forum on the 70/80 Mhz band, in Lagos.

    As it awaits the release of the spectrum bands, the NCC is working to fine-tune the document and release the rules for its bidding process soon.

    Before the implementation of its open access broadband model, the regulator auctioned the 2.3 gigahertz (Ghz) spectrum band to an indigenous player, Bitflux Communications Limited to provide wholesale services. Its Managing Director, Biodun Omoniyi, said environmental issues stopped the firm from rolling out services on the spectrum it defeated national carrier, Gloobacom, to clinch. He, however, said the firm would commence commercial service any moment.

    It is part of the regulator’s move to make adequate spectrum available for broadband services to a country where more than 90 per cent of telecoms services are deployed through wireless means.

    Another effort to complement the 2.3GHz auction was the 2.6 GHz spectrum band auction, which had experienced two postponements.

    Government sources said the NCC wanted to get it right before putting the spectrum on sale. “Recall that in 2001 after the Digital Mobile Licence (DML) auction, Communication Investment Limited (CIL), one of the winners, did not pay for the licence because the frequency allocated to CIL was believed to be encumbered and it lost the licence and the deposit for same.

    “So, the NCC wants to clear the coast before another major licence round will take place. Let me assure you that the licensing round is work in progress,” the NCC official said.

    Also, the Infrastructure Companies (Infracos) licencees have swung into action, as Lagos and North Central including Abuja licensing has already been concluded.

    The other five zones, according to the NCC, are works in progress. The government, through the NCC, is dangling incentives to attract bidders to the zones considered less attractive commercially.

    Besides, the Ministry of Communications Technology said tax holidays of between five and seven years, 30 per cent rebate on capital expenditure (capex) is also in the offing for the investors.

    Additionally, the 5.4 GHz spectrum auction has already been advertised and applications are already being received by the NCC.

    Stakeholders say the NBC should put its house in order, raise the funding required for DSO, rise up to surmount the legal and logistical cobwebs on its way so that the digital spectrum band could be relaesed for national development.