NCC Hosts Stakeholder Engagement On 5G Spectrum Auction

NCC Hosts Stakeholder Engagement On 5G Spectrum Auction

This week, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will host a stakeholder engagement forum as part of the activities planned for the country’s implementation of the Fifth Generation (5G) Technology Deployment Plan.

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that according to a statement signed by Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, the forum will provide an opportunity for industry stakeholders to discuss the draft Information Memorandum (IM) for the upcoming auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum band.

The Commission has confirmed that attendance at the event, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 4, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at the Lagos Marriott Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, is open to all interested stakeholders in the telecoms sector and beyond.

According to the Commission, the decision to host the stakeholder engagement is consistent with the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003 and the NCC’s distinct tradition of robust stakeholder consultation on all telecom regulation-related issues.

5G Technology

In June, the Commission inaugurated a committee to develop the IM for the auction of 3.5 GHz spectrum band, which will be utilized for early deployment of 5G technology services in the country.

The Information Memorandum (IM) is a comprehensive document, which defines the process emplaned by the Commission for the auctioning of the 3.5GHz spectrum band.

It also provides information on the Nigerian telecommunications market, details of the spectrum to be made available, the pre-qualification process, the auction process as well as the indicative timetable.

“The stakeholder engagement forum is, therefore, an important regulatory prerequisite for the planned auction of 3.5Ghz spectrum before the end of this year,” the statement noted.

As a result, the Commission invited interested stakeholders and members of the public to participate in and contribute to the discussions surrounding this critical draft document.

The successful and timely deployment of 5G is critical for the country, in line with the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, and the positioning of Nigeria as an early adopter of digital technology as well as a major participant in the growing global digital economy.

5G technology is expected to enable several emerging technologies, generate new use cases, drive significant socio-economic growth, and create jobs.