Disregard reports about Mobile Virtual Network launch, NCC tell Nigerians
NEWS DIGEST – Reports intimating the public with the conclusion of the licensing framework for Mobile Virtual Network Operators is untrue, speculative and unfound, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The commission was referencing a report in an online publication which indicated the imminent launch of MVNO in Nigeria. This, the commission said, should be disregarded in entirety by the members of the public.
“The ongoing development of the MVNO licensing framework is not yet concluded much less opening up the telecoms sector for the launch of MVNOs,” said Prof Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, in a statement issued on Friday.
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Having recently published, in December 2020, the first draft of the licence framework for the establishment of MVNO in Nigeria, the commission is currently collecting inputs from industry stakeholders, after which another review will be done.
The commission explained that an industry stakeholders workshop, which aimed to examine the potential benefits and technical feasibility of MVNO, followed the publication of the licence framework.
The feedbacks obtained from the stakeholders will then be considered for inclusion in the final framework to ensure a “highly conducive regulatory regime that facilitates growth and development in the telecoms space.”
Danbata spoke of MVNO’s great prospects in Nigeria, noting the government’s intent to extend telecom services to many rural, under-served and unserved communities across the country.
He added that MVNO can only be launched after the conclusion of the MVNO framework, consideration of inputs from relevant stakeholders and approval by the board of the commission.
