The Nigerian Communications Commission
has licensed two new infrastructure companies to fill critical
infrastructure gaps and enable broadband services in two geopolitical
zones in the country.
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder
Management, NCC, Mr. Sunday Dare, said that Zinox Technologies was
licensed in December last year to deploy metropolitan fibre-optic
infrastructure in the south eastern part of the country, while Brinks
Integrated Solutions Limited won the bid for another region.
Speaking on the sidelines of a
stakeholders’ forum on cost-based study for the determination of the
mobile termination rates, Dare said the licensing of the remaining
infracos would be completed by the end of this month.
“Brinks Integrated Solutions Limited was
approved in December and Zinox for the South East. Out of seven, we
have four ready. Before the end of February, the remaining three will
also be fully licensed. And of course, we also know that MainOne has
been working and the other three will join before the end of February,”
he stated.
Altogether, four telecom companies that
will provide broadband infrastructure in three zones and Lagos State
have been issued permits as part of the National Broadband Plan of the
Federal Government.
IHS and MainOne, in 2015, emerged
winners of the bid and were authorised to lay metropolitan optic fibre
for the North East and Lagos region, respectively under the Open Access
Model.
According to the NCC, the Open Access
Model for fibre-optic network deployment is best suited to bridge the
digital divide, facilitate the development of local content, and deliver
fast and reliable broadband services to households and businesses.
The infrastructure companies are
expected to help address the challenges of fibre deployment in towns and
cities, and promote infrastructure sharing.
Dare, who represented the Executive Vice
Chairman of the commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, had earlier said a new
cost-based interconnect rate would be ready for implementation by March
1, this year.
According to him, PricewaterhouseCoopers
United Kingdom was commissioned after the expiration of the 2013
interconnect rates regime in 2016 to review the existing model to
reflect the cost of deploying the service.
Before, then, he said an interim rate of
N24.40 per minute for inbound international traffic was set until a
cost-based rate would be determined.
“The commission re-engaged the services
of the consultant, PwC UK, to review and update the existing model,
taking into account the changes that have occurred over time and
produced an interconnection cost model that is more in line with the
current realities in Nigeria,” Dare stated.
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