The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Telecommunications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Garba Dambatta says President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Commission to ensure that all nooks and crannies of the country is fully captured in the broadband deployment programme geared towards the enhancement of socio-economic development through telecommunication technology.
Prof. Dambatta who stated this in Kano during the first-leg of Broadband Engagement Forum for stakeholders in the North, on Thursday said already country have been divided into seven zones, namely, North-West, North-East, North-Central, South-South, South-East, South-West and Lagos zones to ensure effective and equitable broadband service deployment.
According to him, the tremendous capacity of broadband services at the Lagos landing points is not being felt in the hinterlands, pointing out that there was urgent need to cover areas where the broadband services have not reached for the benefit of people who are resident outside major cities.
He explained that already, NCC has set up an Implementation Monitoring Committee, not only to monitor the establishment of the broadband infrastructure project, but to also ensure adequate sensitization of all stakeholders, and as well, proffer solutions to challenges of broadband deployment such as payment of taxes and right-of-way.
Dambatta who highlighted the benefits of broadband services, noted that there would be gradual transformation in the area health, education, transportation, socio-economic development, as well as transparency and openness in governance.
He further noted that the implementations of the broadband project would certainly impact positively on the lives of Nigerians, adding that with broadband services, Nigeria can join the league of the 20 most powerful countries by the year 2020.
He said all the dedicated zones are expected to achieve the broadband implementations not below 1.5 megabytes requirements, because the national broadband office has defined the speed achievable and that should be maintained if the transformation is to be made possible.
Dambatta noted that as it is today Nigeria has achieved Telecommunications out reached of 160 million, and the broadband Penetration’s of 20 per cent.
He said: “We have registered all the Broadband Infrastructure Licences, we have seven of them. The Licences have been given to seven companies; and I believe all of them have paid for the licence.
“The licence very cheap; it is as cheap as N2.5 million. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari did not introduce the concept of Broadband Infrastructure Licence in order to make money.
“So, whatever we are going to do here today, whatever conclusions we are going to draw, these conclusions must revolve around what we are going to do in our own right as a people interested in pervasive telecommunication services, as well as how we can make those services available everywhere, and at the same time.
“That is the meaning of ubiquity, when we talk about ubiquitous services; we are talking about services that are available everywhere and at the same time.
“We are not saying they must be equal. The word here is equitable broadband services. Every part of the country going at its own speed, but definitely, not below the minimum speed of 1.5 mega bytes.
“So, I believe these are the engagements that we intend to, among other things, sensitize our critical stakeholders, like the NCC, state governments and service providers, and those who provide infrastructure services, as well as subscribers.”
Meanwhile, Prof Dambatta has tasked state governments to invest in the implementation of broadband policy of the Federal Government.
Dambatta made the call in Kano, at a one-day stakeholders broadband engagement forum.
He said that state governments had a vital role to play in ensuring the successful implementation of the broadband implementation efforts of the Federal Government.
He said: “With successful accomplishment of the broadband policy, there will be improvement in terms of infrastructure, economic and social status of states.”
Dambatta said that the commission had already approved seven licenses to broadband operators across the six geo-political zones of the country including Lagos.
Explaining the broadband framework, Dambatta said it was a plan by the Federal Government to put together and define how broadband would attain 30 per cent penetration in the country.
According to him, the commission sets up a broadband monitoring committee to sensitise critical stakeholders on the framework.
The NCC broadband forum was to sensitise all stakeholders of its implementation and framework.
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