Telecom
5G: NCC May Auction 3 additional Licences before 2024 – Danbatta

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) may roll out three additional 3.5GHz spectra licences for the Fifth Generation (5G) licences in the next two years.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman (EVC) of the Commission, gave the hint in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Danbatta said that, however, the rollout of the three licences would depend on the pace at which winners of the first two licences developed their respective spectrum.
The EVC spoke to NAN when he accompanied Prof. Isa Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, to Lagos for a breakfast session with start-up digital innovation techs stakeholders on Tuesday.
NAN reports that the Federal Government had in December 2021 announced successful bidders for two 3.5GHz spectra of the 5G network licences for $547.2 million.
MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications had won the bidding and were given up till Thursday, Feb. 24 to pay $273,600,000 each.
Danbatta confirmed to NAN that MTN had paid fully for the licence while Mafab still had a grace of two days to pay up.
The Federal Government last week officially handed over the spectrum allocation for 5G deployment in the country to the NCC in Abuja.
“Two telecommunication companies won the bid for the 5G spectrum licences in December and were given two months within which to pay up.
“So far, MTN has paid $273,600,000 while Mafab Communication has up to the Feb. 24 to pay.
“There is still time and we are optimistic,’’ he told NAN.
According to the EVC, there is a provision in the Information Memorandum that says “we need to give our preferred bidders up to two years to operate’’.
He did not comment on what would likely happen if Mafab did not meet the payment deadline.
Danbatta, however, added that there was also a provision that the waiting period could be reviewed.
“I’m not saying the review is in the process as we talk.
“Not yet because we want to ensure that these two assigned licences have started operations and are okay.
“Of course, we will give them time to see what plans they have because they need to start implementing their plan for expansion of infrastructure that will support these additional services.
“Everything is on the table, meaning we have so far auctioned two slots.
“We have three more to go and nothing stops the NCC from assigning the remaining slots.’’
He, however, said that NCC was delaying to roll out the remaining slots “until after the two years specified or the government may say, look, cut down the years from two years to maybe one year’’.
Danbatta also noted that the government could provide additional incentives to the two licensees.
“This is so that together, we can be able to agree that there is a need for a reduction in the waiting time for a licence,” he said. (NAN)
Telecom
MTN Says New N6.98 USSD Charge Won’t Affect Airtime Recharge

Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
Telecom
Crypto Scam Unmasked: U.S. Recovers Record $225m in Global Fraud Bust

The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
Telecom
Nnaemeka Ani Calls on African Techies to Rewrite the Narrative

In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”

Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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