MTN Nigeria has renewed its spectrum band licence (referred to as Channel 1) in Nigeria for an extra ten years, effective from the start of this year.
As well as extending MTN’s first 800MHz spectrum band licence in the country, the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said that it has also approved the extension of MTN’s second 800MHz spectrum band licence (Channel 2), which expires on 31 December 2030.
ITWeb Africa reports that the extension is NCC’s attempt to align the tenure of the company’s 800MHz spectrum licences so that they all expire on 31 December 2034.
The 800MHz frequency range is described as vital for providing efficient mobile services, notably for 4G, and potentially 5G networks.
This is the second piece of good news in a matter of days for MTN Nigeria, which earlier this week voiced its approval of the NCC decision to allow a 50% tariff increase for telecom operations in Nigeria.
As we reported, the NCC noted that tariffs had “remained static” since 2013 despite mounting operational costs. Thus, the adjustment aims to address a “significant gap between operational costs and current tariffs” while ensuring service delivery to consumers remains unaffected.
Although some operators, including MTN Nigeria, had reportedly been pushing for a 100% rise, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola took a positive view of the rise, saying: “This tariff adjustment represents an important step towards addressing the impacts of the prevailing economic challenges on our business and industry.” He added: “It will enable us to maintain the critical investments required to deliver reliable, high-quality services to Nigerians.”
