Nigeria's GSM Subscribers Hit 130Million Mark

The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Eugene Juwah has said Nigeria's Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication subscriber figures have hit the 130 million mark.

Represented by the agency's Director, Public Affairs, Tony Ojobo, at the NCC Special Day at the on-going Abuja International Trade Fair, Juwah said another revolution in the sector is in the offing, adding that it would be spurred by the huge investment in infrastructure.

According to Ojobo, seven infrastructure companies (Infracos) would be licensed in the next few weeks to provide the infrastructure requirement to drive broadband services across the six geopolitical zones of the country. One of the Infracos will serve Lagos.

He said, "At 130 million subscribers; that is a phenomenal; that is a miracle. We believe that this nation is going to move forward, and just as we have seen in the telecommunication sector, we are going to see the miracle in other sectors in this nation.

"You are aware that the Commission has engaged some consultants and we have adopted the Open Access Model for the implementation of broadband in Nigeria. Now, the challenge has been that of infrastructure."

He said the Open Access Model will provide the infrastructure requirement that will drive the services. According to him, with the voice calls reaching its peak, the next level is data revolution which will happen in a couple of years to come. stating that this is the beginning of the revolution that is going to happen in the next couple of years in the area of broadband deployment.

He pointed out that just like what was witnessed in the area of voice communication, the sector is going to witness same in the area of data communication, as far as broadband is concerned.

He also said the licensing of the Infracos will start from Lagos and North-Central while the others will follow suit, adding that this will usher in the era of digital communication, broadband services and enhanced communication.