Business Briefs
Bako Wakil, head, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Nigerian Communications Commission says the planned new broadband speed in the country will be higher than the current one
THE Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, is ready to increase the country’s broadband speed, which is currently 1.5 megabits per second. Bako Wakil, head, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, said the new broadband plan will be higher than the current speed.
At the 2019 Social Media Week in Lagos, Wakil said the National Broadband Plan, when it was set in 2013, put the minimum speed as 1.5 megabits per second. The plan ended in 2018 and a new one is being worked out and most likely the speed will be raised.
“As at today, depending on the availability of infrastructure, there are countries that are talking about 10 megabits per second, even 20 megabits per second. So we are going to grow in that pace. This is because what we are talking about is Internet of Things, IoT, we are talking about Artificial Intelligence, AI, we are talking about things like driverless cars, devices being connected and talking to each other, hence, you need very high speed in order to achieve those things,” he said.
Wakil said there was the need for a very huge data capacity that would enable not only people to communicate, but also household devices and equipments talking to themselves. According to him, the country needs to put together both fixed and mobile broadband strategy.
He said the commission had identified strategic and necessary spectrum, in order to roll out broadband services. Wakil noted that broadband played an important part in the socio-economic life of people.
On his part, Nnamdi Nwokike, director, public affairs, NCC, said broadband in Nigeria context meant having a minimum of 1.5 Mbps speed when one communicates. He said in 2013, the country set a five-year plan which ended in 2018.
“By 2013, we had a six per cent achievement of penetration of broadband in the country and there was a target of 30 percent which was by the end of 2018. Right now in our country, we have exceeded that target by November 2018. As a matter of fact, by November 2018, we were doing 32 percent and if you add what we have in December 2018, we quite exceeded the target.
“This whole thing about social media requires a speed that is acceptable for the whole platforms to work in a way that will be exciting. So, we believe that going forward we will work in setting another milestone, another target that we are going to pursue and we will make sure that we fast track internet penetration in our country and at the right speed,” he said.
– Feb. 8, 2019 @ 12:25 GMT |
Tags: NCC plans to increase Nigeria’s Broadband Speed
