GSMA, the association representing telecoms companies across the world has warned that countries across Africa, including Nigeria, could miss out of the socioeconomic benefits associated with broadband if the governments of various countries fail to grant mobile operators access to sufficient spectrum.
Speaking in Abuja at the African Telecommunications Union’s third preparatory meeting for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Radio Communication Conference 2015 (WRC-15), Director, Spectrum and Public Policy Africa, GSMA, Mortimer Hope said exponential growth in the use of mobile phones, tablets and other wireless devices accessing the Internet is putting pressure on existing spectrum allocations in Nigeria and other part of Africa.
He said: “It has become highly imperative for Africa to step up efforts towards protecting and promoting mobile broadband spectrum. It is therefore critical that governments and regulators take the opportunity that WRC-15 provides to take strategic and decisive action on spectrum allocation that will safeguard the future of mobile broadband in Africa.”
According to him, policymakers need to act urgently to deliver all the undoubted advantages that the mobile Internet provides to citizens throughout the continent.
He predicted that access to C-band spectrum for mobile services will decrease marginal costs for mobile operators, leading to lower prices for mobile broadband in Africa.
Concerning Nigeria, he said there are huge economic benefits in Nigeria, which range from $2.2 billion to $4.6 billion (57 times the cost of migrating existing services). While in South Africa, he quoted a GSMA report that predicted that the economic benefits stand at $511 million to $1.1 billion (13 times the cost of migrating existing services).