NCC fixes Dec 19 for 5G Spectrum auction
…Bidders to pay for IBD Dec 5
By Ibrahim Adeleke
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has fixed December 19, 2022 as the auction date for the new two additional slots in the 3.5GHz Spectrum band in the deployment of 5G network in Nigeria.
This would come three days after the Mock Action billed to hold on December 16, 2022 while the qualified bidders would be notified on December 5, 2022.
In a statement signed by Director, Public Affairs of NCC, Reuben Muoka, on Tuesday, the Commission said it is putting up another two slots of spectrum in the 3.5GHz Spectrum band for auction before the end of 2022, to boost deployment of 5G services in Nigeria.
The process, which was made public on 21st October 2022 with the publication of the Draft Information Memorandum (IM) for the auction on the Commission’s website, invited stakeholders to study the Memorandum for purposes of making submissions ahead of a review of the IM on November 16, 2022.
The final IM is slated for publication on December 18, 2022, while applications will be received by the Commission from November 21, 2022.
The closing date for the submission of application, the deadline for payment of mandatory Intention-To-Bid Deposit (IBD), and the Pre-Qualification Stage is set for December 5, 2022.
The statement read: “Qualified bidders would be notified on 5th December 2022 while notification and publication of the Mock Auction and Auction date will occur on the same day. The Mock Action is billed for 16th December 2022 just as the Auction proper takes place three days later, on 19th December 2022.
“The process is anticipated to enter its grant stage on 21st December 2022 with the publication of provisional bid winners and the notification of provisional award of licence.
“The year 2023 will open with the payment for Spectrum Licence and Operational Licence, where applicable, on 20th January 2023 and on the 23rd of January 2023, the auction process will be concluded with the publication of the result.
“Meanwhile, according to the Information Memorandum, pursuant to the issuance of the IM, the Commission reserves the right to make available additional information through the publication of further documentation. Therefore, interested parties are advised to stay abreast with developments in the licensing process by checking regularly for updates on the Commission’s website.”
Earlier on Sunday, the NCC had announced that it would give another two companies licence for 5G network at a fixed reserved price of $273.60m for a 10-year tenure.
It was gathered that the short period of auction is due to political pressure, as the Commission is targeting to complete the auction before the general elections next year.
Already, political campaigns have commenced, an official of the NCC who spoke to our correspondent noted that the country would need the faster network for its elections next year, hence the need to fast track the auction another two slots of the 5G spectrum before the elections that commence in March next year.
Meanwhile, industry watchers have said the period is too short compared to the first auction which took almost a year before the final emergence of two firms, MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications Limited.
It would be recalled that the NCC actually commenced the implementation of 5G policy process in 2019, but the 3.5GHz spectrum auction for the deployment of 5G network in Nigeria was first conducted on December 13, 2021, the exercise which was described as being transparent, fair and credible among the bidders.
It took almost a year before the Commission issued final letters of award of 5G licences to the two winners after they made their full payment of $273.6 million each in May and were expected to roll out the network in September.
Despite being given a long period of time, Mafab has not been able to roll out the network while MTN is able to roll out only in Lagos State.
