Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has revealed that people with access to telecommunication subscriptions in the country stood at 227.18 million as of May 2023, while teledensity hit 119 per cent.
This was disclosed by the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Mr Umar Danbatta, during the two-day 2023 ICTEL Expo organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) at Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event themed Tech Disruption, Transforming Industries with Innovation, Mr Danbatta, who was represented by Mr Alkasim Umar, the Director of the Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, said Nigeria was on course to compete globally and that the rise of technologies like Artificial Intelligence would shape industries including healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and transportation.
He noted that as of May, the number of telecom subscriptions was 227,179,946 with a teledensity, that is – the number of telephone connections for every hundred individuals living within an area, of 119 per cent.
He said the telecom industry also contributed 14.13 per cent in quarter one of 2023 to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“We are also very particular about consumer protection and privacy. Through our initiatives, we aim to enforce standards, improve service delivery, provide avenues for redress, and promote data privacy, cybersecurity.
“Spectrum management is another critical aspect of our strategic vision plan. Efficiently managing the limited radio frequency resources is essential for optimising connectivity and promoting emerging technologies.
“We are committed to supporting the transition to new spectrum bands, such as 5G, to unlock the transformative potential of these technologies and enable new services and applications.
“As of May 2023, the broadband subscription was 92,561,842 while broadband penetration was 48.49 per cent, the NCC official said.
He noted that the NCC, through its efforts, is expanding network coverage and promoting the deployment of broadband infrastructure, the commission was bringing reliable and affordable internet access to every corner of Nigeria.
