Nigeria joins broadband Internet programme
By Sonny Aragba-Akpore (just back from Barcelona, Spain)
FACED with the reality that elsewhere in the world, broadband Internet connectivity is a routinely available facility, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the weekend began an accelerated move to plug into the global broadband initiative.
NCC chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Joda and Chief Regulator, Ernest Ndukwe, told reporters at an interactive session in Barcelona, Spain at the just concluded Mobile World Congress that the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI) which has been on the drawing board in the last two years would soon become a reality.
Ndukwe and Joda spoke as the 2009 Congress drew to a close, with a record attendance of 47,000 visitors from 189 countries.
Specifically, the NCC chieftains told reporters that Nigeria was now in a hurry to join the broadband train that gives users fast access to the Internet.
NCC said it had shortlisted three existing telecommunications operators from the over 50 that applied to run and manage the broadband programme.
Indeed, the three unnamed companies, which are to be announced soon, will use their facilities to deploy broadband first in the 36 state capitals and later to other towns and cities across the country and across the land.
The operators will run these services on the third generation (3G) platform.
Ndukwe admitted that although pockets of 3G services providers deploying broadband are in place, "we want to drive its growth through massive investment leading to heavy expansion."
He said, the NCC was ready to give incentives to the new operators, especially in the area of last mile (terminal equipment) in order to augment accelerated growth.
Ndukwe emphasised at the conclusion of Global System of Mobile Communications GSM Association (GSMA) that the so-called global financial meltdown was not a threat to technology growth.
"Telecommunications will be the driver for economic growth in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general, because elsewhere in Europe and America, saturation has set in and maturity obtains. But we in Nigeria are growing in population and this population has a need for telecoms facilities."
He explained that last year alone, over 20 million new subscribers joined the various networks in Nigeria, which indicated that the Nigerian market was where investors needed to be.
He said operators in various segments of the sector would meet with the NCC this week to harmonise frequency spectrum issues, tariff re-balancing and taxes among others expected to encourage subscribers in the country.
"We will meet on the path of growth," Ndukwe stressed.
He explained that the meeting would also deliberate on the SABI that would take off soon and for which identification and evaluation of companies had been done.
"The idea and purpose is to serve the areas that are unserved and improve on the areas that have been served partially. We want to stabilise the environment and create incentives that will improve manpower skills that will lead to economic growth," Ndukwe submitted.
The GSMA announced that more than 47,000 visitors from 189 countries attended the GSMA Mobile World Congress, the leading event for the mobile communications industry. The four-day conference and exhibition attracted executives from the world's largest and most influential mobile operators, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies and media and entertainment organisations, as well as government delegations. 50 per cent of Mobile World Congress attendees hold C-level positions, including more than 2,800 CEOs.
"We're extremely pleased with the turnout that we've seen this week. The strong level of attendance, particularly among the C-suite of the world's leading communications companies, demonstrates that Mobile World Congress continues to be the place where the industry comes to do business," John Hoffman, CEO, GSMC Limited, said.
"The mobile industry stands out as one of the few vibrant sectors in a tumultuous world economy, and this week's Congress emphasises the important role mobile has in creating new opportunities that will drive future growth."
During the event, leaders from companies including AT&T, China Mobile, China Unicom, Ericsson, Microsoft Corp., MySpace, Nokia, Telef—nica, Telenor, Verizon Communications and Vodafone, among others, gathered to address head-on the challenges presented by the global economic slowdown and outline strategies for sustaining growth. Additionally, the Congress delved into the world of mobile entertainment, with the one-day Mobile Backstage event featuring the MOFILM Mobile Short Film Festival.
The 2009 Congress featured 1,300 exhibiting companies and occupied more than 57,000 square metres of exhibition and hospitality space, a footprint 11 per cent larger than that of the previous year. Nearly 2,400 international print, Web and broadcast media attended the event to analyse and report on the many significant industry announcements made at the Congress.
"Barcelona has again been a tremendous host city for the Mobile World Congress," continued Hoffman. "We thank the city, Catalonia, Fira Montju•c and all our Barcelona partners for being such warm and efficient hosts. We would also like to thank our sponsors, particularly our Platinum sponsor LG and our Mobile Innovation Platinum sponsor Generalitat de Catalunya for their support."
The Mobile World Congress' sister event, the Mobile Asia Congress, will be held in Hong Kong in Autumn 2009 and will feature a thought-leading conference programme that will explore the major strategic issues and opportunities facing the mobile industry as it moves forward. Event dates for the Mobile Asia Congress will be forthcoming.
This figure includes all attendees for the event, such as delegates, exhibitors, contractors and media
The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites more than 750 of the world's mobile operators, as well as 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry.
