Latest revelation coming from Africa’s foremost online shopping website, Jumia has shown that not much may be achieved by Nigeria in years to come on areas of fibre optic cable driven last mile delivery in terms of broadband access.
Rather, it sees jumping trajectory in mobile broadband penetration to as high as 55 per cent come 2025 when over 70 per cent of the population will have access to 3G connectivity and 17 per cent possibly on 4G networks.
Giving details at the presentation of its report titled, ‘Nigeria mobile report 2019’ recently in Lagos, Head, Vendor Operations and Experience, Omolola Onasanya, maintained silence on why last mile delivery has been elusive but was quick to note that 44 per cent of mobile subscribers in Nigeria are using 3G technology and 4 per cent are using 4G technology a development owing to the current administration’s positive efforts compared to over 18 per cent 4G penetration in South Africa and 16 per cent in Angola.
She projected that by 2020, 5G network with the 26 GHz, 38 GHz and 42 GHz spectrum bands will be rolled out.
However, stakeholders’ at the recent maiden edition of the Nigerian telecoms Leadership Summit held in Lagos and powered by the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), rose in unison, to call for a presidential Executive Order that will criminalise any form of illegal access to telecoms infrastructure by any states’ revenue agency.
In his lead argument, former and pioneer Minister of Communications Technology, Dr Mrs. Omobola Johnson, recalled that during her time as minister, she had meetings and engagements running into 15 times with states’ governors on reviewing their tax regimes on network providers so that more investments can be encouraged, but failed to achieve any results.
She made it clear that last mile will continue to be far from Nigeria so far states continue to see telecoms as cash cows which she described as clear misconception.
Corroborating her views, the chairman of Association of Licenced Telecoms Operators’ of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr Gbenga Adebayo decried the incessant illegal access and shut down of BTS and allied installations by states’ authorities whenever issues of tax matters arise and supported the call for Executive order, saying stakeholders have tried their best to explain how it works before governors but they tend not to listen.
Business Hilights recalls that for more than five years now, NCC had given out rollout licences to virtually all the zones for Infrastructure Companies (Infracos) to deliver fixed broadband facilities which remain the best for driving the economy, but none has been able to deliver due to high cost of Right of Way (RoW), vandalism, insecurity and even forex challenges.
