NCC Lifts Suspension on STG

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has lifted the suspension on Spectrum Trading Guidelines (STG), pending the conclusion of an ongoing review.

A statement by Ikechukwu Adinde, NCC’s Director, Public Affairs, said that the decision followed deliberations by the NCC board at its special meeting.

Adinde said that the board resolved that the suspension be lifted and that relevant stakeholders should continue to operate the STG while the revised STG was being finalised in consultation with the industry.

Also Read: Refiners Group says Stakeholders Are Involved in Niger-Delta Illicit Oil Trade

In May, the NCC announced the suspension of STG and informed all licensed telecoms operators, prospective investors, industry stakeholders and the general public of the decision.

Mr Adinde said the board took the decision in response to telecommunications global dynamics, as well as the efforts to optimally utilise and maximise the benefits of Spectrum as a scarce resource.

“The current Spectrum Trading Guidelines were developed in 2018 after industry-wide consultations.

“This instrument allows that the Spectrum resource is traded on the Secondary Market through Transfer, Sharing or Leasing (TSL) upon satisfying stipulated regulatory conditions.

Also Read: Nigeria-Niger Rail Project Driven by Economics, Not Politics – Amaechi

“The Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025 launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2020, requires that these Guidelines be reviewed to ensure that unutilised Spectrum is fairly traded to facilitate rollout by other operators among others.

“The guidelines will also help to address the need for ubiquitous broadband deployment to accelerate penetration and access in line with the economic agenda of the federal government,” he said.