NCC renews Airtel’s spectrum licences for 10 years

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved the renewal of the spectrum licenses in the 900 megahertz (MHz) and 1800MHz bands for Airtel Nigeria. 

In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday, Airtel Nigeria said it paid N71.61 billion ($189 million) in respect of the license renewal fees, adding that the payment is under the terms of the spectrum licences.

According to the telecom company, these spectrum licences were otherwise due to expire on November 30, 2021.

Following the approval, NCC offered Airtel Nigeria the opportunity to renew its spectrum licences in both the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for a period of 10 years with effect from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2031.

Commenting on the new development, Raghunath Mandava, CEO of Airtel Africa, said: “I am pleased to announce that our application in Nigeria to renew our spectrum licences in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands for a ten-year period has been approved by the NCC.

“This is our largest market and we remain focused on bridging the digital divide and expanding our broadband capability in the country.”