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Friday, December 31, 2010

NIG champions govt subsidy on broadband access for Nigerians

NIG champions govt subsidy on broadband access for Nigerians

By Benjamin Amu
Lagos. September 29, 2010. Nigerians may have broadband access as a right if a proposal that by an internet advocacy group that the government should provide subsidy for broadband access to citizens is adopted in the planned review of the National Telecommunication Policy.
The Federal Government has set up a Committee comprising various stakeholders to review the policy and the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) says its key input is the need to offer government subsidy to foster the rapid development of broadband services across the economy.
President, NIG, Lanre Ajayi says that the group has made inputs into the review of the Policy recommending that government should provide subsidy to ensure that Nigerians enjoy high speed internet access to foster innovation and economic growth in the country.
According to him, pretty much the same way government provides subsidy on petrol so that Nigerians can “put fuel in their cars”, it is now time to offer subsidy on broadband access because of its implications for economic development.
Ajayi, who is also CEO, Pinet Informatics, told a broadband forum at the Nigeria Com conferences and exhibitions in Lagos that NIG made the input into the proposed review of the nation’s policy.
President, Mobitel, Johnson Salako, who was also a panellist at the forum says that it has been issued its contentious licence by the regulatory agency paving way for the planned rollout of its services in the country.
Mobitel, one of the three companies at the centre of the controversial 2.5GHz licensing tussle that pitted the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) against the Ministry of Information and Communications won a court battle to be awarded the spectrum.
According to Salako, Mobitel has now been awarded the licence and the company is set for rollout before year end he told attendees at the first NigeriaCom conference and exhibition that opened yesterday at the Eko centre in Lagos, with 600 telecoms professionals gathering to discuss the major trends and opportunities in Africa’s largest market.
In the opening sessions of the conference, speakers (including senior representatives of MTN, Etisalat, Starcomms, Pinet Informatics, Zoom Mobile and Mobitel) identified the major areas of opportunities in the market as: wireless broadband, infrastructure improvement, innovative services and competition.
The imminent entry of Bharti Airtel following its acquisition of Zain Africa is creating a lot of hype and the major question is how the Indian operator will adapt its model to Nigerian market conditions.
Alongside the conference, the exhibition provided many opportunities for the participants to discover the latest technologies and solutions for their businesses. Major companies such as PCCI, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, Corning and Huawei among others had stands there to showcase their products.
The exhibition area also provided a great place to network in an informal environment, in particular in the refreshment zone sponsored by MTN, and at the Networking Drinks sponsored by Ericsson at the end of the day.
Commenting on the launch of the event, Julie Rey from organisers Informa Telecoms & Media says: “it is a pleasure to see such support from Nigeria’s telecoms community to this event, as it is designed to help them to share their experiences and ultimately to provide better telecommunications services to the Nigerian population; we are delighted to hold this event in Lagos which is such a business hub in the region”.
Today’s event will include sessions on regulation, value-added services, and subscriber acquisition and retention strategies, with more contributions from MTN, Zain, Globacom, Etisalat and other leading companies.
http://www.technologytimesng.com/2010/09/29/nig-champions-govt-subsidy-on-broadband-access-for-nigerians/

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