Page 108 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Nicaraguan Institute for Telecommunications and holdings in the 3.5GHz band – which TeleGeography
Posts (Instituto Nicaraguense de Telecomunicaciones y believes comprises a 50MHz block held by Claro –
Correos, Telcor) has outlined plans to utilize the 3.5GHz are ‘not technically adequate to satisfy the bandwidth
Nicaragua band to support the country’s future 5G ambitions. specifications’ of 5G, meaning a reorganization will
take place before any new concessions are distributed.
As per Administrative Agreement No. 002-2022,
which appeared in the country’s Official Gazette on 24 The introduction of 5G forms part of the government’s
November, the watchdog has reserved the 3300MHz- Plan Nacional de Lucha Contra la Pobreza y para el
3400MHz, 3400MHz-3600MHz and 3600MHz- Desarrollo Humano 2022-2026 (National Plan to Fight
3700MHz bands for the provision of 5G services. Telcor Poverty and for Human Development 2022-2026).
has observed that the currently awarded spectrum (December 4, 2022) www.commsupdate.com

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) take place at the Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, by 9.00
has announced that Airtel Nigeria emerged as the am prompt on November 15, 2022. The engagement
sole bidder in the upcoming 5G auction and therefore session will feature comments and submissions made
Nigeria will proceed to the ‘assignment stage’ in line with the by the different stakeholders on the Draft Information
Memorandum. The regulator had earlier announced the
published Information Memorandum guiding the
licensing process. According to the regulator, by the plan to license additional lots in the 3.5 GHz spectrum
close of business on 5 December only two companies band for the deployment of 5G Global System of Mobile
had expressed interest in participating in 3.5GHz communication. The auction which is set to take place
spectrum auction, namely Airtel and Standard Network in December 2022, would see the Commission and
& Connections Limited (Standard Network). However, the stakeholders discuss and provide more insight
only Airtel paid the Intention to Bid Deposit (IBD), into the Draft Information Memorandum (IM) that will
while Standard Network requested the deadline be guide the process. The outcome of the submission will
extended by twelve working days, which the NCC ruled be considered by the Commission in publishing the
was not acceptable in view of the auction timetable. Information Memorandum for the auction.
Consequently, there shall be no further bidding and the (November 14, 2022) www.icirnigeria.org
NCC will proceed to the assignment stage to allocate the
spectrum to Airtel. The NCC had planned to auction off The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
the remaining two lots of 100MHz TDD spectrum in the has announced the inauguration of an industry-wide
3.5GHz band on 19 December, ranging from 3400MHz- committee to facilitate the deployment of broadband
3500MHz and 3600MHz-3700MHz. Each lot had a infrastructure under the National Communications
reserve price of USD273.6 million, with the nationwide Backbone (NCB) project. Chaired by the NCC’s Director
spectrum licenses valid for ten years. Winning bidders of Digital Economy Augustine Nwaulune, the National
are required to launch commercial 5G services within Broadband Infrastructure Joint Committee (NBIJC)
twelve months of the effective date of the license, and is also composed of representatives from mobile
coverage should reach at least two states in each of network operators, infrastructure companies and
the country’s six geo-political zones within two years. tower companies. It is responsible for supporting
(December 8, 2022) www.commsupdate.com the drive towards the realization of the NCB targets,
as outlined in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is (NNBP) 2020-2025. These include the deployment
set to engage telecommunications stakeholders on the of 120,000km of fiber across the country, increasing
final document for its planned auction of two more lots broadband penetration to 70% by 2025, and connecting
in the 3.5GHz Spectrum for the deployment of the fifth- 60% of communication towers with fiber. In addition,
generation (5G) services. The process for the auction the committee is mandated to initiate engagements
of the proposed lots of frequencies for 5G services with identified sources of funding, including the
commenced on October 21, 2022 with the publication of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), the
the Draft Information Memorandum on the Commission’s Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp), the
website. In an earlier statement and subsequent African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Central Bank
advertisements, the Commission advised stakeholders of Nigeria (CBN).
to study the Information Memorandum for comments (November 8, 2022) www.commsupdate.com
and questions. The stakeholder interactive session will

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