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Chinenye Anuforo
For information and communications technology stakeholders that attended the 2019 Nigeria ICT Impact CEO Forum (NIICF) organised by ICT Watch magazine in Lagos, there is need to bridge the digital divide between the connected and unconnected in society.
Speaking on the event’s theme “Connecting the Unconnected,” Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said connecting the unconnected would be a mirage if there is no conscious effort to provide adequate infrastructure to reach the last mile.
Represented by Gbolahan Awonuga, executive secretary, ALTON, Adebayo stated that there must be adequate infrastructure in place before connecting the unconnected.
He noted that without adequate provision of infrastructure there is no way to get to the unconnected at the rural area.
He also called on government to address the issue of multiple taxation in sector, noting that it’s the bane in connecting the people in the rural area.
Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer,
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said that the commission is committed to connecting the unconnected through its broad based initiatives.
Represented by Babagana Gigima, Head, Special Duty Department, he explained that providing connectivity to the unconnected, who are usually classified as un-served or under-served, comes with its own set of challenges especially in developing countries where other complementary infrastructure such as power, transmission and transport are non-existing or inadequate.
Danbatta noted with regrets the challenges faced by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) even inside city centers where they are forced to deploy two power generating sets per Base Transceiver Station (BTS) to complement the erratic public power supply systems.
He explained that the commission has been fulfilling its obligation to ensure that unconnected areas are connected through the provision of services to un-served and under-served areas.
He added that the Commission’s access gap study has identified 198 clusters of un-served areas, which translates to about 40 million unconnected Nigerians, stressing that with such population yet un-tapped, there is, therefore a business imperative to exploit this vast resource.
The EVC stated that they are committed to subsidizing the deployment of 318 BTSs in various un-served and under-served locations through the USPF funding.
He added that the licensing of the six (6) Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) will help to lower the cost of entry of MNOs and other service providers and ensure provision of at least one (1) fibre Point of Access (PoA) in every local government headquarters of the Federation.
