Did NCC Renew MTN's Digital Mobile License in 2015?

News went round on Tuesday in different national dailes and online platforms that the Nigerian Communications‎ Commission (NCC) has extended MTN Nigeria's operating license, however, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek's investigation has shown the extension was granted in 2007 not 2015.

‎According to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek's investigation, records available in Finance Department of NCC show that MTN paid for the extension of the license in 2007 from 10 years to 15 years.

But earlier in the year, in compliance with the ‎condition of the Digital Mobile License (DML) on renewal, MTN along with Airtel applied for the renewal of the DML which expires on February 8, 2015.

From on set, MTN won the DML in 2001 for a period of 15 years commencing from September 2, 2001 to August 8, 2016, subject to automatic renewal was provided for in paragraph 3&4 of the DML license conditions.

A source in NCC, who pleaded anonymity, said that "In 2006, MTN, along with other licensees, was granted the Unified Access Service License (USAL) for a period of 10 years ‎commencing from September 1, 2006 to August 31, 2016."

According to the Source, "In 2007, when MTN won the 2GHz Spectrum license, the Commission based on the Information ‎Memorandum (IM) requested MTN to pay for the extension of its USAL license (Based on letter dated August 3, 2007)."

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek could not readily confirm the amount MTN paid, ‎however, our Source said that after the consideration by the Commission it was decided that DML issuance will be discontinued as it had been subsumed under the UASL.

"However, the tenure of the Spectrum license being used for this service, 900MHz and 1800MHz would be harmonised ‎ to run concurrently with the UASL for administrative convenience".

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek also gathered that the Commission by a letter dated July 27, 2015, had asked MTN to pay for the extension of the spectrum ‎till August 31, 2015, but based on MTN's letter of August 6, 2015, was discovered that it had paid for an extension in 2007. ‎

According to our source, "There was no document to show that the extension was duly communicated to MTN. Accordingly, MTN has to pay for spectrum fee till 2021 instead of 2016 as easier advised."

Efforts to reach MTN spokesman to comment on the new findings proved abortive, however, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck,‎ MTN Nigeria's corporate affairs executive,‎ was quoted  by Reuters‎ saying “We view this extension as a demonstration of confidence in MTN’s capacity to continue to provide ground-breaking and innovative services to its customers”.

$5.2Billion Fine
‎Meanwhile, as at Tuesday talks are still ongoing on the $5.2 billion fine before the license could be renewed.

Johannesburg-based MTN is in talks with the Federal Government about the fine, imposed on its unit in Nigeria for failing to cut off more than 5 million users with unregistered SIM cards, Reuters reported.

Nigeria has been pushing operators to verify the identity of their subscribers, on concerns that unregistered SIM cards were being used for criminal activity in a country facing an insurgency from the Boko Haram sect.