The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is planning to auction five spectrum slots for the development of 5G technology.
Prof. Umar Dambatta, NCC Executive Vice-Chairman, said this during a public hearing and inquiry in Abuja on Tuesday on the proposed draft regulations on telephone subscriber registration, Sim replacement, and spectrum allocation for 2021.
Dambatta added that the commission had put in place all of the necessary procedures to auction five 5G spectrum slots.
“When I appeared before the Senate on our readiness for 5G deployment, I said we were 95 percent but right now we are 97 percent,” he said.
In his welcome remarks, Mr. Adeleke Adewolu, NCC Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, said the public hearing and inquiry on spectrum trade rules, sim registration guidelines, and telephone users standards would assist the commission in improving the industry.
Adewolu urged the commission to reconsider the N200,000 penalty for an active unregistered line and increase it to serve as a deterrence.
“This spectrum trading guidelines, telephone users guidelines and SIM replacement guidelines will help to guarantee growth in the industry,” he said.
Mrs Josephine Amuwahe, the NCC Director of Legal Services, gave a summary of Sim registration and activation, saying that any network operator that allowed pre-registered Sims without full bio-data would be fined N200,000 per Sim.
Some of the new principles were listed by Amuwahe, who was represented by Mrs Helen Obi, Director, Telecoms Laws and Regulatory Unit, Legal Services Department, NCC.
According to her, the activation window (a grace period during which a subscriber can enjoy restricted services before fully registering) has been extended from 30 to 60 days.
“Foreigners with visas, two or more years, are to register their NIN before acquiring a telephone line but those of less than two years visas are not required to get a NIN.
“A subscriber is a person that is of 18 years and above. Subscribers are only allowed to register four sim cards per a network provider
“For the reactivation of a deactivated line, the person will have to go through the process of new activation of a Sim card,” she said.
Airtel employee Mr Adedoyin Oye said the company suffered over 300 fibre cuts in a month due to development.
Oye, on the other hand, asked the NCC to strengthen coordination between the commission, mobile network operators (MNOs), and construction businesses in order to preserve MNO fibers.
