Going by the recent scuffles between the Regulator NCC and Telecom Giants MTN, many would be forgiven for expecting another round of drama to take place as regards MTN licensing.
recall in August that NCC denied that it had renewed the license of MTN which was due to expire by the month’s end however with this disclosure, the road is clear for another 10 years for MTN Nigeria to continue operations.
Coast now clear for MTN Nigeria
Media communications organization, MTN Nigeria has reported that its Unified Access Service (UAS) permit and range permit for remote neighbourhood circles in the 900MHz and 1800MHz band has been renewed by the nation’s controller, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
As indicated by an assertion endorsed by the organization secretary, Uto Ukpanah, the licenses, which expired on August 31, 2021, have now been renewed for a further ten-year time span, beginning on September 1, 2021.
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The Regulator (NCC) has recognized the receipt of the amount of N71.6 billion for the range permit and an amount of N374.6 million for its UAS permit for the period between the first of September 2021 to 31 August, 2031 thus NCC validating reports that it had restored MTN Nigeria’s permit for 10 extra years.
MTN Executive speaking about the Renewal
Talking on the update, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, said that “MTN Nigeria is pleased to announce that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has formally notified the Company of the renewal of its Unified Access Service (UAS) licence and spectrum licence for wireless local loop in the 900MHz and 1800MHz band, subject to license conditions, including additional amounts under discussion.
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The NCC also acknowledged receipt of the sum of N71.6 billion for the spectrum licence and N374.6 million for the UAS licence in settlement of their invoices for the period 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2031
“Renewing our licences for another ten years is very important to our business and enables us to continue to provide services to ensure the benefits of modern connected life for our people,” Toriola said.
“MTN Nigeria is delighted with its strong partnership with the NCC and looks forward to working closely with the commission and the ministry of communications and digital economy, to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy,” he concludes.
More about the Unified Access Service License
The Unified Access Service License (UAS) was presented by the NCC in February 2005. It permits existing fixed remote and portable licensees to offer the two types of assistance subject to geological/territorial impediments contained in their permit.
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Range licenses have been a critical wellspring of income age for the Federal Government.
Up until this point, the NCC is said to have created about N150 billion from range permit charges between January and May 2021 alone (N36 billion over the extended income from range expenses in 2021). This isn’t unexpected as Airtel Nigeria reestablished its range permit in the 900MHz and 1800MHz groups for N71.6 billion in February.
Customer expectations
Now that the Licence has been renewed according to MTN Nigeria (As there is no official statement from NCC as at this time) customers hope that MTN can deliver better services to users especially Data Services as the world is getting more digitized and global by the data, Connectivity is paramount for families, businesses, religious organisations and entities, one also hopes that MTN would also expand to areas where poor network services are a big challenge.