The Nigerian Communications Commission has revealed plans to begin the issuance of licences to mobile virtual network operators in the country.
The Director, Licensing and Authorisation, Mohammed Babajika, disclosed that the commission has finalised the framework for MVNOs and was currently in the process of licensing them.
He said this during the first ‘Talk-To-The Regulator’ forum for 2023, a two-day event held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
According to him, the licensing of MVNOs will improve the telecommunication output of the country, enable the expansion and availability of quality mobile coverage and close the gap between the unserved and underserved population in Nigeria.
Babajika explained that the commission was reviewing its licence categories in line with global trends because it recognised that technological advancements in the industry such as artificial intelligence, big data, network as a service and the Internet of Things were redefining service delivery.
“While the commission is fully committed to discharging its mandate, it can only achieve this with the cooperation and support of licencees. The Commission, therefore, recognises the importance of various service providers and seeks to constantly engage with these service providers and thereby protect the health and growth of the telecoms industry,” he said.
Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Danbatta, represented by the Head Pre-Licensing, Mr Usman Mamman, said the commission was reviewing the scope and structure of its existing licences to make them more robust and to accommodate some of the identified new industry trends.
He stated that NCC had taken measures to improve regulations to accommodate the rapid and continuous development to keep up to date with developments in the industry.