Com. Tec Ministry Targets 60% Penetration

Ministry of Communications Technology said that there has been remarkable progress in the facilitation of Nigerians access to Information and Communications Technology and reaffirmed its commitment  of 60 per cent penetration by 2015.

The ministry reported a 40 per cent penetration in rural telephony but said that country’s teledensity ratio has increased in fixed line access from 0.51 per cent in 2011 to 1.5 per cent in 2012.

The ministry in a document titled: “Ministry’s achievement in the past 12 months” and  signed by Mrs. Efem Nkanga, special assistant on Media to the Minister of Communications Technology, noted that ratio of mobile subscriptions increased from 68.49 in 2011 to 71.54 per cent in 2012, adding that the ratio will increase to 97.69 per cent by 2015.

The report said that “Access of rural population to ICTs increased from 1.5 per cent in 2011 to 1.65 per cent in 2012. Mobile phone coverage in the rural areas stands at 40 per cent in 2012 and is expected to hit 60 per cent by 2015 and 100 per cent by 2017. Speed of broadband access has increased from 1.0 in 2011 to 1.8 in 2012. It is expected to increase to 5.0 by 2015. While cost of broadband subscription (3GB package/yr), has reduced from N93, 000 to N72, 000 in 2012. It is expected to go down by 50 per cent by 2015.

Also a Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCC) survey with the theme: “Assessment of the level and impact of telecommunications penetration in rural Nigeria” showed that only about 25 per cent of the country’s rural dwellers do not have access to telephone lines presently.

The report explained that 72 per cent of rural dwellers without access to telephones, had to travel a distance of less than one kilometre to make calls, 23 per cent had to travel a distance of between one kilometre and 5 kilometres.

It also disclosed that four per cent traveled distance of between six kilometres and 10 kilometres, while the remaining one per cent traveled a distance of above 10 kilometres or more to make calls.

The report, however, revealed that the number of rural dwellers, without telephone lines, was an improvement on the availability of telecommunications services in rural communities, when compared with what was obtainable in 2004.

It also said the distance traveled by rural dwellers to make calls had also reduced considerably since 2004.

According to the report; “In 2004, 68 per cent of respondents in rural areas had to travel further than 50km to the nearest telephone location. However, findings from the recent survey indicate that only 0.2 per cent of the rural respondents surveyed, traveled to the nearest location, which was about three kilometres to make their calls.”

The report further revealed that the average time for majority of rural dwellers to access telephone services is about five minutes, and that it was a remarkable improvement from 2004, when average time traveled was between one and two hours to reach the nearest telephone location and that about 30 per cent of rural dwellers spent more than one hour to get to the nearest location to make calls.