NCC disburses N500m to develop telecoms prototypes

The National Communications Commission (NCC) said it has released over N500 million to some universities in the country to develop some of their telecommunication research prototypes to be fully commercial. Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta disclosed this on Wednesday, while delivering his keynote address at a regional roundtable with academia, […]

The National Communications Commission (NCC) said it has released over N500 million to some universities in the country to develop some of their telecommunication research prototypes to be fully commercial.

Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta disclosed this on Wednesday, while delivering his keynote address at a regional roundtable with academia, industry and other telecommunications stakeholders held in Kano.

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He said the aim of the intervention is to bridge the gap between research conducted by the universities and the industries with the aim of boosting Nigeria’s economy.

He said, “I have made a commitment on behalf of the Federal Government that the commission will provide the necessary funding to derive these prototypes.

“To date, we have invested, from the beginning of the research and development directorate of the NCC, that invested over half a billion to universities of various research within the Nigerian universities system to stem this momentum by funding more for Professorial Seats in these universities.

Some of the funded researches include seamless data and voice connection using Multiple Operators Enabled SIM (MOES) cards, fabrication of GSM communication-based walking cane robot, powerline communication module for domestic LAN, development of home-grown electrical power charger for cell phones from cooking heat and development of low-cost GSM telephone system for rural areas among others.