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In a bid to extend telecommunication services to the 27 million Nigerians currently without access to telecom networks, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is in the process of licensing Mobile Virtual Network Operators and advancing the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) networks across the nation.
The commission has reported a 37.04% reduction in the number of Nigerians without telecommunication access in 2022. According to the NCC, this positive trend is a result of a decline in the number of identified clusters across the country without access to telecom services, which decreased to 53.1% by the end of 2022.
This information was conveyed by Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, during a recent telecommunications industry stakeholders forum held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state. Represented at the event by Usman Mamman, the Head of Pre-Licensing at the Commission, Danbatta highlighted the progress made in bringing telecom services to underserved areas.
Danbatta stated, “Our relentless efforts have been directed at ensuring that telecom services reach people living in rural, unserved, and underserved parts of this country, which totals around 37 million individuals based on the 2013 consultation.”
The deployment of telecom infrastructure in these regions has been instrumental in bridging the telecom gap, Danbatta emphasized. He further noted, “By 2022, the clusters with access gaps have significantly reduced to 97 from the initial 207 recorded in 2013. The number of underserved Nigerians has also decreased from 37 million in 2013 to 27 million currently.”
This ongoing effort reflects the commitment of the NCC to enhance telecommunication accessibility across Nigeria, ensuring that more citizens can benefit from modern communication services.
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