Johnson Chairs eWorld 2012 Broadband Forum

The Minister of Communications Technology, Ms Omobola Johnson has accepted to chair the eWorld 2012 Broadband Forum scheduled to hold on March 21, at Golden Gate in Lagos. This year’s Forum has the Theme: Broadband Ecosystem: Issues For Regulators And Operators. The eWorld Forum will seek to contribute to ongoing discussions on Nigeria’s march towards accelerated broadband development in line with International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the NCC vision and objectives. Key stakeholders both in private and public sector are billed to attend the event and contribute their views to the issues at stake. The Forum comes at a time when government and stakeholders are seeking a new ICT policy that will harmonise existing disparate policies and converge regulation. According to Aaron Ukodie, Publisher of eWorld Magazine, organizers of the event there are several issues that need to be addressed in Nigeria’s efforts to put a workable and growth induced policy, strategy and action for Broadband development. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has also declared broadband access as the digital right of all citizens of the world and Nigeria is obliged to do all that is necessary to provide Nigerians access to broadband services at homes and offices. These issues Ukodie said include: M-banking services and the role of regulators; Wireless broadband spectrum pricing; Open Access Regulation (Smart Regulation); Setting national broadband policies, strategies and plans; financing universal access; New Business Models for Broadband networks, etc. The eWorld Forums have helped to clear a path for the industry. For instance, it was at the 2010 eWorld Forum that the call for a National Broadband Strategy was first mooted by Professor Raymond Akwule, when he represented the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC. “In the emerging broadband world, capacity issues come to the fore and regulation inevitably takes on a policy angle. Spectrum becomes a scare resource of premium value” Ukodie said adding that access to the internet has become an issue of Universal Service Obligation (USO) and net neutrality. Convergence which once was a marketing advantage has become a marketing necessity as access becomes commoditized. This scenario has created more not fewer problems for the regulators. Now the question has been, “What are the possible ways forward for both operators and regulators?” The Forum is also expected to contribute to efforts by the Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC) and the Ministry of Communications Technology to chart a workable roadmap and policy for broadband development acceleration.