Telecom
5G Spectrum: NCC Issues Final Letters of Licence Awards to MTN and Mafab
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has confirmed issuance of the final letters of award of the Fifth Generation (5G) Spectrum Licences to MTN and Mafab Communications, winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction conducted by the Commission on Monday, December 13, 2021.
Management of the Commission led by its Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta confirmed this to the Board of Commissioners at the Board’s Special Meeting, which took place on Wednesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 21, 2022, where the Board considered updates from Management on the status of the spectrum auction.
With the issuance of the final letters of awards of 5G spectrum and in line with the Auction’s Information Memorandum (IM), the two licensees are now expected to accelerate deployment of 5G network that will usher Nigeria into a more robust Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and a more digitised Nigerian economy.
In line with the terms and conditions of the 5G license, the licensees are expected to commence roll out 5G services effective from August 24, 2022.
The 5G network, when deployed, will bring a lot of benefits and opportunities that will engender accelerated growth and smart living in the country. The technology is also expected to bring substantial network improvements, including higher connection speed, mobility and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities.
Following a transparent, diligent, fair and credible auction of 3.5GHz on December 13, 2021, the National Frequency Managenent Council (NFMC), chaired by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, had on February 22, 2022, officially handed over the spectrum allocation for 5G deployment as well as Federal Government-approved National Policy on 5G to the Commission.
Subsequently, the Commission, on February 24, 2022, confirmed the full payment of $273.6 million each by the two spectrum winners, in addition to spectrum assignment fee paid by MTN, for the 5G spectrum licence.
The Commission is optimistic that effective implementation of the National Policy on 5G will accelerate the actualisation of the national targets in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, as well as other sectoral policies designed to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation.
While the licensees are expected to meet the timetable regarding their 5G network rollout obligations, the NCC requires collective efforts and support of the private-sector and government toward transforming every aspect of the nation’s economy through 5G, which will herald greater transformation than what the nation witnessed with the 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G.
Federal government has unveiled an ambitious plan to deploy 7,000 telecommunications towers across the country, with 80 per cent allocated to Northern Nigeria to address the region’s acute connectivity deficit.
The federal executive council had already approved the 7,000 towers project by March 2025 to support digital transformation and 5G rollout, with formal rollout scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The project’s first tower will be installed next week in a rural Abuja community of 5,000, where insecurity compounds connectivity challenges.
Unlike conventional masts, these towers will double as digital hubs, providing internet to schools, hospitals, and local government offices.
“Most of these clusters are in the North. That’s the reality. There are a few clusters in the South-West, you know, that are not connected, but the bulk of the clusters are in the North, Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, told TVC recently.
He continued, “So, almost 80% of these towers will be going towards filling that gap in the North. The rest will now patch up where we have left off.
“Unlike traditional telecom masts, they will deliver internet to local schools, hospitals, and government offices, maximising their impact. Wherever we put them, we use the same infrastructure to serve the community.”
Tijani highlighted a collaborative model where mobile network operators will connect to the towers’ cables, reducing redundancy and optimising resources.
Nigeria’s digital landscape remains uneven.
As of January 2025, 128.3 million Nigerians, 54.3 per cent of the population, lack internet access, ranking the country fourth globally for unconnected populations.
Broadband penetration stands at 48 per cent, with over 50 per cent of Nigerians living there, facing significant barriers, including unreliable electricity and low digital literacy.
Progress has been made, with the number of people in unserved and underserved areas falling from 36.8 million in 2013 to 23 million in early 2025, yet the connectivity gap remains a formidable challenge.
The 7,000-tower initiative, distinct from the separate Project 774, forms part of a broader strategy that includes satellite technology, such as Starlink, and fibre-optic cables, which Tijani described as the backbone of reliable connectivity in advanced markets.
The government’s focus on the North reflects the region’s disproportionate share of unconnected communities, while the project’s design aims to address both digital and security challenges.
Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO of Digital Realty, West Africa’s leading interconnected data center facility, has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s digital economy and the broader African ICT landscape.
L-R: Mr. Ken Nwogbo, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of CommunicationsWeek Media, Editor Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, CEO of Digital Realty and Dr. Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) at the 2025 Africa’s Beacon of ICT (ABoICT) Merit and Leadership Awards, organized by Communications Week media.
At a ceremony in Lagos, Nnamani was named among the Top 50 Most Valuable Personalities in Nigeria’s Digital Economy by KnowHow Media.
According to the organizers, this recognition reflects his unwavering commitment to innovation within Africa’s tech ecosystem.
Segun Oruame, Vice-Chairman of KnowHow Media, emphasized Nnamani’s significant impact on Nigeria’s ICT landscape, highlighting his role in advancing the country’s digital economy.
Adding to his accolades, Nnamani was also honored with the ICT Growth Impact Award in Data Centre Infrastructure at Africa’s Beacon of ICT (ABoICT) Merit and Leadership Awards, hosted by Nigeria Communications Week.
This award acknowledges his instrumental role in developing telecom and ICT infrastructure across multiple African nations, including Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, and Angola.
Expressing gratitude for the recognitions, Nnamani dedicated the awards to his team at Digital Realty, acknowledging their continuous support.
He reaffirmed his commitment to fostering industry growth and driving innovation across Africa.
Telecom
SBTS Group CEO Evelyn Lewis Named Among Nigeria’s Top 50 Digital Economy Leaders for Youth-Focused Tech Initiatives
Evelyn A. Lewis, CEO of SBTS Group, has been named one of Nigeria’s “50 Most Valuable Personalities in the Digital Economy” by IT Edge News.Africa, recognizing his visionary leadership in digital transformation, innovation, and youth empowerment.
Presented during the “Nigeria: State of the Digital Economy 2025” colloquium and awards ceremony in Lagos, the recognition highlights Lewis’s role in shaping Nigeria’s digital future. The high-profile event, organized by Knowhow Media (publishers of IT Edge News.Africa), brought together top policymakers, digital innovators, and ecosystem enablers across public and private sectors.
At the center of Lewis’s recognition is his commitment to building Africa’s digital economy through skills and job creation. Under his leadership, SBTS Group—in collaboration with the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI)—is implementing an ambitious plan to:
- Train 5 million Nigerian youths
- Create 50,000 digital jobs by 2030
This initiative aligns with Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program.
SBTS Group’s proprietary Intelligent Capacity Building Model (ICBM), developed under Lewis’s leadership, is at the core of this effort. The model closes the gap between digital training and employment, offering career-focused tracks in:
- Cybersecurity
- Software Development
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
- Digital Entrepreneurship
ICBM is currently being rolled out across DBI campuses nationwide, forming a scalable framework for skills development.
SBTS and DBI will kick off the next phase of their national rollout with new training and BPO centres in Abuja and Enugu, scheduled for launch in June 2025. These centers are expected to create over 5,000 jobs in their first phase, acting as blueprints for replicable, sustainable digital employment hubs nationwide.
Beyond training, SBTS has also built a national unified digital learning and registration platform for DBI. The system integrates national identity tools such as NIN and BVN, supports student sponsorships, facilitates enterprise partnerships, and enables career tracking—laying a foundation for a data-driven, transparent digital skills ecosystem.
“This award reaffirms our commitment to building Africa’s digital economy from within,” said Evelyn Lewis. “At SBTS Group, we believe that human capital is Africa’s greatest asset. By empowering our youth, we’re investing in a future where Africa leads in innovation and competitiveness.”
The 50 Most Valuable Personalities (50MVPs) initiative annually celebrates visionary leaders accelerating Nigeria’s digital transformation. The 2025 edition recognized contributors across tech, governance, and entrepreneurship under the theme:
“Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Transformation: Insights on Challenges and Emerging Opportunities.”
Other 2025 honourees include:
- Obadare Peter Adewale, CVO, Digital Encode
- Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs & Poverty Reduction
- Ayọ̀wándé Àdalémọ, CEO, Wave5Wireless
- Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Executive, West Africa & Morocco – Africa Data Centres (ADC)
- Ike Nnamani, CEO, Digital Realty
- Daser David, President/CEO, Digital Bridge Institute
- Suleiman Isah, Commissioner for Communications Technology & Digital Economy
- Shuaibu Kabir Bello, CEO, KMDC
- Olawole Owoeye, Co-founder, Cedarview Communications
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