Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to prepare for the effective implementation of the 5G national policy following its approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Pantami made the remarks during a courtesy visit to his office by NCC leaders, headed by Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who noted that now that the 5G national policy has been approved the Commission must begin implementing digital transformation of telcos immediately.
The Minister also praised the Commission for launching its Strategic Vision (Implementation) Plan (SVP) 2021-2025, saying that the SVP will be a great vehicle for accelerating the 5G plan’s implementation.
He said: “The NCC needs to ensure total implementation of the SVP. We should try to have timelines and ensure to deliver on them. Developing the Vision Plan is commendable but ensuring diligent implementation is even more important. So, the EVC should commit to the total implementation of the SVP”.
The purpose of the visit, according to Danbatta, was to “appreciate the Minister’s immense support and active role during the recent launch of three projects by the Commission; and to commend him for the important role he played in securing the final approval of the 5G national plan by the Federal Government”.
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Recall that, Prof Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), says everything is now in place for the launch of 5G services across the country, as part of the government’s aim to become a technology-driven economy.
He said that the Commission had crossed all the “Ts” and dotted all the “Is” and was now waiting for the Federal government’s approval to begin rolling out the services.
Prof Umar made the revelation during a public hearing in Abuja on Thursday on the draft frequency spectrum (fees and pricing, and yearly operating levy regulations).
According to him, the move came after a series of pre-trial rollout exercises conducted by MTN and Airtel networks, which justified the Commission’s decision to begin the deployment plan across the country.
He went on to say that the Commission is now ready for the launch and that it had already submitted the plan to the federal government for approval, as only the federal government has the authority to do so.
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