ATCON, 36 States, To Brainstorm On Achieving Broadband Targets

The national executive council of Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has disclosed plans to host a one-day strategic stakeholders meeting with the 36 state commissioners including Federal Capital Territory (FCT), permanent secretaries and heads of ICT agencies, to brainstorm on how Nigeria can achieve broadband targets.

Recall that the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 aimed to deliver data download speeds of 25Mbps in urban areas and 10Mbps in rural areas, with effective coverage for at least 70 per cent internet penetration by 2025.

Sadly, the recent report by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that Nigeria’s broadband penetration rate dropped by 10.7 per cent after the population commission adjusted the country’s population figures. This adjustment revealed that only 40.48 per cent of 216.7 million Nigerians had internet access by September 2023.

The president of ATCON, Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, in a press statement on Monday, said it is crystal clear that the role of connectivity in driving innovation and digital economy cannot be overemphasised.

“Therefore, the state government needs to work with telecom operators to ensure that all hindrances and bottlenecks to pervasive and ubiquitous broadband are completely eradicated through constructive dialogue,” Emoekpere advocated.

The president averred that the strategic objectives of the Strategic Stakeholders’ Meeting are; to discuss the status of the Nigerian National Broadband of 2020 to 2025 and 2023 – 2027 Strategic Blueprint of Dr Bosun Tijani with respect to its objectives and targets and  to influence ATCON members to have presences in all states of the federation as well as encourage capital importation to states that are ready for development.

“The discussion will also be centred on getting states’ buying in the actualization of programmes, initiatives and activities targeted at pushing the frontiers of Telecommunications infrastructure developments in all the states of the federation and to have an approved way of resolving issues that bother on right of way, multiple taxation and other related issues.

“To sign a memorandum of understanding with ATCON that going forward there would be no destruction and shutting down of base stations across Nigeria and collaborate with states governments to leapfrog anticipated development and progress in all the states of the federation in order to deepen the broadband penetrative potentials in all sectors of the states’ economy thereby addressing the issues of poverty and unemployment faced by the state government,” he revealed.

The chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; honourable minister, Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; honourable minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike and the executive vice chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, have been invited to play key role during the conversation, at the meeting, scheduled to take place on June 5, 2024 with the theme “Harnessing States Potential through the Applications of Technical Efficiencies”, in Abuja, Emoekpere stated.