By Samuel Bankole
Nigeria’s mobile telephone subscriber base has grown to 208 million with active Internet subscriptions at 154.9 million by the end of November 2020, according to the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the telecoms industry regulatory body.
The EVC of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Umar Danbatta, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday said the country’s teledensity is now standing at 108.92 percent and broadband penetration of 45.07 percent.
He said the third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) base transceiver stations (BTS) deployment in the country has increased to 53,460 from 30,000 while Fibre Optic Transmission cables expanded to 54,725km from 47,000km in the last five years, resulting in improved broadband/telecoms service delivery to Nigerians.
The EVC was briefing the new Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Festus Yusuf Daudu, on the functions and regulatory activities of the Commission.
READ ALSO: President Buhari appoints M.K Ahmad to chair TCN board, reappoints Usman as NPA CEO
According to Danbatta, the effective regulatory regime emplaced by the leadership of the Commission has resulted in increased deployment of infrastructure by telecoms operators, which in turn, helped to improve broadband penetration and other related service delivery in the telecoms industry.
“The BTS, fibre optic cables and other related infrastructure are central to the provision of improved service experience for Nigerians by their respective telecoms service providers,” he said, adding that the licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) are also expected to add 38,296km to optic fibre cables when they commence fully operations.
The EVC disclosed that the number of subscriptions to DND service has hit over 30 million as the service empowers Nigerians to be able to protect themselves from the menace of unsolicited text messages.
In recognition of the tremendous economic growth opportunities afforded by the deployment of broadband and its associated technologies, Danbatta said the Commission has positioned itself in government’s drive for a digital Nigeria, as contained in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020 – 2025), the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020 – 2030) and the Strategic Management Plan (2020 – 2024) of the Commission.
“The Commission will continue to put in its best in the discharge of its mandates, especially in facilitating the deployment of broadband, which is central to diversifying the Nigerian economy and national development.
“Also, it is our belief that the communications industry, under the leadership of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, will experience more quantum leaps and retain its current leadership role in the telecommunications space,” he said.
