Mobile Broadband Subscribers Hit 800,000 in Nigeria

Fueled by the launch of new technologies, subscribers connected to mobile broadband internet hit a high of 800, 000 last month in Nigeria and Global System for Mobile Association (GSMA) is happy about it, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek has learnt.
The chalk up in the subscribers has been driven by Globacom, MTN and Zain which launched  various network standards, such as GPRS, 3G, UMTS/HSPA, among others.
According to a recent research of the GSMA made available to us through, Mr. Ross Bateson, the association’s spokesperson, the figure represents 80 percent of total broadband subscribers in the country which is put at one million.
He said that mobile broadband is a key social and economic development lever, driving Internet connectivity and bridging the existing digital divide.
“The rapid rise in mobile data usage in Nigeria will yield major social and economic benefits as long as there is sufficient spectrum available to meet demand. These include connectivity for businesses and consumers not reached by fixed-line broadband networks and provision of new services, particularly in rural areas,” he noted.
Wireless Intelligence report says that mobile broadband has built good momentum across Africa, with over 7 million high speed packet access (HSPA) connections and an additional 440,000 being added every month.
There are currently 29 HSPA networks across the continent with a further five being planned, and there are four planned LTE networks. Mobile Broadband has proved most successful in Africa where transparent, non-intrusive regulation has been put in place to allow competition between operators.
Bateson urged the federal government and regulators to make plans for the auctioning of 2.5GHz spectrum to support the deployment of LTE technology.
“The Nigerian government must also start to contemplate the release of low frequency digital dividend spectrum. This will be instrumental in ensuring rural areas of Nigeria benefit from high bandwidth broadband connectivity,” he added. 
Bateson’s GSMA, is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardizing, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system. It claims as members nearly 800 mobile operators and more than 200 related companies.