The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) said in Abuja on Wednesday that it would launch the country’s broadband expansion project soon. The Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Mr Eugene Juwah, disclosed this when he received the visiting executive members of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

He said the issue of broadband expansion was important in the present NCC management’s programme of action for the telecommunications sector revolution.

He said that NCC would soon start a nationwide stakeholders’ consultative forum to enable it elicit valuable suggestions preparatory to the launch of the broadband expansion. Juwah said the commission had designed a programme that would clearly spell out the roles of the various stakeholders and actors in the new regime.

He explained that the meeting with ATCON was part of the new initiative by the commission to continue to engage stakeholders in the sector on key issues of regulation and quality service delivery. “The management of the commission considers this meeting as very vital, this initiative strikes at the very heart of our aspiration to continuously consult with the key stakeholders in taking regulatory decisions and actions.

The issue of broadband availability and penetration in Nigeria today is very dear to our hearts at the commission and you will recall that this is one of the key areas that we had indicated to occupy our focus in the next few years. You may be aware that we have taken various steps to actualise our broadband dream. We have articulated a strategy for the implementation of the broadband master plan based on infrastructure sharing.

“We have indeed developed a model based on open access in which the role of the network operator – that is the operator of the infrastructure – is distinct from those of service provider. In the coming few weeks we will start to conduct stakeholders consultation to let the stakeholders know exactly and in details what we want to do.”

Juwah, who outlined the key areas of focus in the new regime, stressed that the broadband expansion project would conform to global standards and also address peculiar needs of the Nigerian society.

He said, “We have shared notes with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on strategies and models that we have developed. “Underlining these models and strategies are issues of availability, affordability, stimulation of demands of services, attraction of investments, creation of more employment opportunities, penetration of services to the nooks and crannies of the country, improving governance and energising the economy.”

In his response, the President of ATCON, Mr Titi Omo-Ettu, said the association was pleased to work with the NCC in the project of expanding broadband availability in the country. He explained that the association was encouraged by the benefits that Nigerians would derive in the broadband expansion to partner with all stakeholders in the sector, including the NCC, to ensure that the dream was actualised. Omo-Ettu said ATCON had done its homework and has come up with a road map that would support NCC’s broadband expansion vision.

He advised all stakeholders to key into the programme, saying that the benefits were for all Nigerians and not the NCC alone.