The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) bolstered by the success recorded in the licensing of the 2.3GHz spectrum has commenced industry-wide consultations preparatory to the licensing of the 70/80 GHz spectrum band which it says would boost broadband access and pervasiveness as the nation rallies to achieve its set target of 30 percent broadband penetration by 2018.

As a prelude to the full licensing of the spectrum, the NCC has recommended the ‘Light Licensing Model’ which was applauded by operators present at a stakeholders consultative forum held in Lagos Thursday.

The commission after much consultation came up with the light licensing option for Nigeria which has been pegged at N14,400 per hop per annum for its deployment following case studies of some developed countries including the USA and the United Kingdom..

This according to the EVC of the NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, has become necessary considering that spectrum is a scarce resource and this particular spectrum band has not been fully explored and exploited in Nigeria. Juwah who was represented by a commissioner in the commission, Mohammed Bintube added further that this scarce resource has to be utilised for the common good of the nation to further drive the nation’s broadband plan of having ubiquitous broadband by 2018, an agenda which he said is not hidden, adding that allocating the spectrum will create more room for broadband deployment, while also addressing the growing demand by operators for high speed connectivity.

“We believe that effective and efficient sharing of our allocation of radio spectrum in the 70/80GHz will provide impetus in that direction and with this forum we hope to address the growing demand by operators for data-centric and high speed capacity links for metropolitan environments which is a replica of fibre in the air.” This he added will further assist the commission’s drive for Broadband Wireless Initiative, BWI. It is also to ensure accountability in order to enhance available infrastructure and other resources within the industry.

“Let me assure you that NCC will not relent in adopting global best practices in our regulatory actions, especially with this spectrum allocation and its utilisation. This is why we have developed various policies and regulations that guide most of our processes including frequency allocation and pricing”.

This, he said is one of the commission’s proud commitments to carry stakeholders forward in their regulation agenda. “But the challenge however is in how to balance the interest of the stakeholders and delivering the value of the scarce resource”.

Engr. Austin Nwaulune, Director spectrum allocation of the NCC, said that the E-Band has a business case in Nigeria both technically and commercially. ” We need this band because of the gap in places where we have fibre to take the fibre from there to the last mile and even where we don’t have the fibre there is also another gap”. The spectrum he added can be used to backup the fibre links that we have to provide redundancy for some critical infrastructure even as it is quick and easy to deploy. In all ramifications the band has been seen to be very useful in the pursuit of broadband connectivity in Nigeria and getting broadband to the nooks and crannies of the nation, he said.

Nwaulune described the band as a means to an end which will offer operators the opportunities to provide quality services to consumers. He said in the long run, the band would translate not just to superior service quality but also pocket-friendly services for all sections of consumers.