Danbatta: Transforming Nigeria’s broadband landscape in three Years

That broadband is now globally acclaimed as the major index of development in all aspects of human life is no an exaggeration. According to the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development it is the nervous system of today’s civilization, and its access is top priority for our technologically-driven society. There is no gainsaying that the […]

That broadband is now globally acclaimed as the major index of development in all aspects of human life is no an exaggeration. According to the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development it is the nervous system of today’s civilization, and its access is top priority for our technologically-driven society. There is no gainsaying that the aspiration of many nations today is to deploy human and material resources to attain broadband success.

Nigeria attained 30.9 per cent broadband penetration by November 2018. What this connotes is that a total of 58,965,478 were connected to the Internet through 3G and 4G networks out of 108,457,051 Internet subscribers in the nation’s telecom networks. The figures rose in December to 60,087,199, taking the penetration depth to 31.48 per cent.

To put it into perspective, the penetration figures stood at 8.5 per cent in 2015, when Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as head of the NCC

However, the diligent implementation of a comprehensive road map, popularly known as 8-Point Agenda, which Prof. Danbatta unveiled a few months into his new assignment, turned things around.  Therefore, broadband was deliberately made its flagship.

Danbatta has always seen broadband, particularly, as a function of an eco-system, not reductionist’s internet speed perspective.

The Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), while inducting him a Fellow of the apex engineering body last year, hinged its decision partly on Danbatta’s unparalleled work on Nigeria’s broadband.

Indeed, apart from Danbatta’s quick action in setting up a crack team for broadband implementation early, he has succeeded in ushering in a regime of efficient management of scarce resources and spectrum.

From successful auction of six slots of 2×5 MHz in the 2.6 GHz band, to re-planning of the 800 MHz band for LTE, and to assigning of 2×10 MHz spectrum to Glo Mobile for trial in the 700 MHz, the frenzy of activities is unmistakable.

And from regularisation of 2×10 MHz Spectrum in the 700 MHz band previously assigned to MTN by NBC for the purpose of providing LTE services, to opening up 70/80 GHz band for both last mile and backhaul services, among other numerous spectrum managements, the impacts cannot be gainsaid.

While the list is by no means exhaustive, a landmark was also recorded by the NCC with the publication of Spectrum Trading Guidelines. This attracted commendations from international telecommunication organisations like GSMA.

Yet even more pertinent to broadband is the fact that six infrastructure companies (Infracos) have been licensed to drive the deployment of infrastructure across the nation’s geographical zones and Lagos, while the remaining one (for North Central) is being processed. This, no do doubt, bodes well for the future of the industry.

Nonetheless, while there was a special emphasis on ensuring Nigeria met its 30 per cent target on broadband penetration, no item on Danbatta’s 8-Point Agenda has not brought something worth noting to the industry table.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable feats of his leadership was dedicating the year 2017 as the Year of the Consumer of the industry.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable feats of his leadership was designating 2017 as the Year of the Consumer.

When the campaign kicked off, fewer than 500 subscribers had activated the 2442 Do-Not-Disturb code initiated by the commission in 2016 to tackle the menace of unsolicited telemarketing. By October 31, 2018, more than 16.5 million had activated the Do-Not-Disturb and counting. The commission’s second layer complaint toll-free line, 622, has also become a beehive of activities.

In a similar vein, the commission has also issued a directive to service providers on data roll-over, enabling consumers to roll over unused data for period of time, ranging from one day to seven days, depending on the data plan, among other consumer- centric directives.

Again, another portion of the agenda was how Danbatta revolutionised stakeholder engagement of the agency. From Ogun State, where he used his clout to ensure 47 base stations were immediately unsealed by Governor Ibikunle Amosun, to Kano State, where N200 million was waived on levies, to Kogi State, recently, where 120 base station sites were reopened, Danbatta’s energy and proactive strategy are in display.

In the area of strategic collaboration, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Danbatta and governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, with a view to boosting mobile money service penetration and financial inclusion in the country has also struck a chord. With this development, there is permeating optimism that the country will be able to deepen inclusion to 80 per cent by 2020.

The inter-agency partnership between the two giant regulators bore another fruit in 2018, saving a major service provider, 9mobile, from collapse.

But, as if he saw it coming, even before the debacle that led to the 9mobile takeover, the NCC under Danbatta had already made its Code of Corporate Governance for the telecoms industry mandatory.

If the unmatched success in broadband penetration, and consumer-centric initiatives of the Danbatta era are some of the standouts, it is safe to assume that the synergy with academia to boost telecommunications researches is the unsung hero. It is to his credit that a new department of research and development has been carved with significant increase in funding.

Indeed mixing a no-nonsense reputation with so much flexibility is one of the major hallmarks of Danbatta’s leadership.

The staff of the commission and the entire industry are consciously motivated by the fact that there’s a fair, firm and forthright chief regulatory officer who is leaving no stone unturned in his march to take the telecommunication industry to the next level.