The Federal Government of Nigeria has embarked on a project that will ensure Nigerians access affordable high-speed Internet by 2015, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said during the recent Nigerian Broadband Forum (NBF).
At the forum that was aimed at formulating a roadmap for sustainable broadband growth, the NCC said the government will embark on freeing up additional frequency spectrum by 2013 to help boost broadband services in the country, making the 2GHz band more accessible to drive mobile broadband penetration and availability countrywide.
According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), there is a need for Nigeria to establish a transparent regulatory framework and policy for broadband to be easily accessible and affordable, considering Nigeria has over 107 million active mobile subscribers, as at September 2012.
President Goodluck Jonathan in September this year inaugurated a 15-man broadband committee to develop a comprehensive broadband strategy and roadmap for Nigeria, as well as to boost broadband expansion campaigns in the country.
NCC also proposed the adoption of three models towards making broadband accessible, including the utility, equal access and passive infrastructure models.
“To facilitate the development of broadband in Nigeria, the model being proposed for adoption is the equal access model and is similar to the model implemented in countries like Singapore and Australia,” NCC said.
Rural Nigeria is still lagging behind in connectivity and affordability of broadband, especially due to tight spectrum structure that exists in the country.
In preparation for this broadband expansion, a number of telecommunication companies are already upgrading their networks to adapt to the new structures expected to be in place by 2013.
