Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), of the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has revealed that Nigeria has achieved over 30% broadband penetration.
Dabatta made this known in Abuja on Tuesday while speaking at the opening ceremony of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) four-day 1st Digital African Week conference in Abuja.
Danbatta said that in realization of the pivotal role of broadband in the deployment of IoT devices and smart services, the Commission has developed framework to facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure across the country through the licensing of infrastructure companies (Infraco) to deploy metro and inter-city fiber and broadband Point of Access with a minimum capacity of 10Gbps across the 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria. He said that with the development of Smart Cities KPIs by the ITU, it is imperative to have pervasive and ubiquitous broadband infrastructure across all our towns and Cities to achieve the objectives of making them Smart.
‘’I am happy to inform you that, Nigeria has not only achieved but exceeded the 30% penetration target set by the National Broadband Plan 2013-2018. At the end of June 2019, our broadband penetration stood at 33.31%.
We will continue to work hard to ensure that all citizens of Nigeria have access to affordable broadband connection irrespective of their circumstances or location. The digital transformation agenda of the Federal Government is anchored on Availability, Accessibility and Affordability of broadband,’’ he said.
The EVC also mentioned that they have put in place, Broadband Implementation and Monitoring Committee (BIMC) to monitor full implementation of the INFRACO projects within the four year implementation plan.
‘’Similarly, we have finalized negotiations on the counterpart funding to the INFRACOs to support the deployment of the broadband infrastructures on which the smart services and other emerging technologies will be hosted.
‘’This is also in line with our 8-point agenda and the declaration of the present Administration for the provision of ubiquitous broadband infrastructures across the county in the Next Level document. The NCC will continue to drive and implement policies, projects and programs aimed at facilitating digital revolution and digital inclusion in Nigeria. In this regards, we have approved spectrum for the trial of 56 services in the country,’’ he said.
The ITU first Digital African Week conference hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), brings together leading specialists in the field, from top policy-makers to engineers, designers, smart city planners, government officials, regulators, standards experts, the academia among others.
According to Danbatta, “this Conference is first of its kind, and brings together everybody that has a role in the fast growing telecommunications industry in Africa.”
‘’This will no doubt, facilitate deeper conversations on standardizations and regulatory issues that are germane to the progress and development of the ICT sector in the African continent. In particuiar, standardization of emerging technologies such as IoT, Smart Cities & Communities, E-waste & Circular Economy and Electromagnetic radiations are very important to the African continent.’’
The EVC also emphasised the strategic role of the members of the Academia and Research institutions in the standardization work of the ITU, and that the commission has already taken steps to involve members of the Academia as strategic stakeholders in their activities towards the development of the Telecom sector by harnessing the research potentials in the academia.
‘’In this regards, the Research and Development Department of the NCC is collaborating with the Universities and other institutions of higher learning to develop the ICT sector,’’ he said.