The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Eugene Juwah, has said arrangements have been concluded for the rollout of the framework for the implementation of the National Broadband policy before the end of October.
Juwah made the disclosure in Abuja, while briefing the media on Nigeria's preparedness to host the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) 2013 Forum and Council Meeting next week in Abuja.
Expressing delight at the attraction of investors on the broadband rollout, he said: "We have number of international consultants working on it and I can tell you that we have had a great deal of interests from the United Kingdom (UK), Europe, United States of America (USA) and China about the work we are doing but nothing comes out until the framework are well prepared by the consultants and the rules of the game for investments announced.
"This I can assure you is going to start towards the end of October this year. "You are again going to be summoned to another public forum in which all this will be discussed in details."
Juwah stated that the federal government was fully involved and was actually leading the initiative for the broadband penetration. "As you may know there is a government broadband plan, which was produced by a committee that was inaugurated by the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, recently, which was presented and approved by President Goodluck Jonathan. "NCC plays a lot of role in this plan and our earlier initiative has been keyed into this plan. The ministry and the agency of government are involved in the spade work." he said.
The EVC stated that the theme for the 2013 CTO forum which is: Innovation through Broadband has attracted well over 225 foreign delegates and experts and 20 ministers responsible for communications technology in their various countries. He said: "You know that I mentioned our excitement especially towards the theme of the forum, which is innovation through broadband . The primary objective for the implementation of broadband initiative to us are quite clear, for example, the forum will highlight regional solution to broadband which we will gain from, issues of revenue management, security challenges, which we are facing through cyber, child online protection issues.
"The forum will further demonstrate what have accrued from broadband implementation, it will highlight the benefits of social media e-governance, all of this we are working at current time and you will see that there will be contributions from all over the world. We are going to get a lot of experience apart from playing part in which Nigeria should do as member of the committee of nation."
The issue of broadband penetration according to him is transformational, adding: "That is why the federal government is involved in it. It requires a great deal of planning and funding. "And our outings in international arena have been to prepare the international audience to the opportunities that exist in Nigeria and intimate them of the plan that we have."
"The NCC initiative is actually to enable broadband implementation that would be at affordable price and its evenly distribution within Nigeria and the framework for this is not something that is done overnight." Juwah stressed.
Source: Thisday
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