Mandava
The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC) has renewed Airtel spectrum licences in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands following the payment of N71.611 billion by the company.
The global telecommunication in a press statement from its London office said the approval came following its application to the Nigerian telecom regulator for its renewal and payment of N71.611 billion ($189 million).
Airtel and MTN paid $N285 million in 2001 to secure the license which was subject to renewal every ten years. Globacom which was unable to pay the bid amount due to technical hitches in 2001 eventually paid $200million in 2003 to secure its license as a second national operator, which includes operating a mobile network, among other services.
The Airtel statement said: “Under the terms of the spectrum licenses Airtel Nigeria has paid 71.611 billion naira ($189m) in respect of the license renewal fees.
The statement further said “following the application, the NCC subsequently offered Airtel Nigeria the opportunity to renew its spectrum licenses in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for a period of ten years with effect from 1 December 2021 until 30 November 2031, which Airtel Nigeria has accepted.
NCC Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde confirmed the payment by Airtel to eworldnews.com.ng in a telephone conversation today.
Raghunath Mandava, CEO of Airtel Africa, said in the statement that he was “pleased to announce that our application in Nigeria to renew our spectrum licenses in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for a ten-year period has been approved by the NCC.
“This is our largest market and we remain focused on bridging the digital divide and expanding our broadband capability in the country. On behalf of Airtel Nigeria and the Group, I would like to thank both the government of Nigeria and the NCC for their cooperation and support in this important process.”
