ATCON rallies supports to quicken 70% broadband penetration target

ATCON rallies supports to quicken 70% broadband penetration target

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has announced plan to host the maiden edition of Virtual Structured Engagement with Key Stakeholders in the Nigerian Telecom & ICT Sector on the New National Broadband Plan 2020- 2025.

Slated for Thursday, March 25, 2021, the programme is themed: Realizing the new set target of 70% of Broadband Penetration slated.

The interest group said in a press statement co-signed by Ikechukwu Nnamani, ATCON president and Wole Abu, its publicity secretary, that the buy-in of the various sub-groups under the membership of the association would be leveraged to ensure and guarantee that the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 is adequately positioned to deliver its ultimate purposes for the generality of Nigerians more quickly and strategically.

Launching of 70% broadband plan 2020-2025 report.

Traditionally, ATCON as an organization usually gives its members the opportunity to review and provide insightful approaches and solutions along with ministry, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Such engagements would also involve state governments as to what needs to be done to support various programmes and projects that are earmarked for the successful implementation of the previous National Broadband Plan under past ministers.

ATCON highlighted the strategic objectives of the planned stakeholders engagement to include to compliment the various strategic activities already embarked upon by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy; to achieve the set target of Broadband penetration in Nigeria with great speed and to leverage on the wide spectrum of ATCON sub-group for effective participation in the new Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025.

ATCON President, Ikechukwu Nnamani

Others are to serve as a veritable platform to galvanize the needed input that reflect the thinkings of the telecom and ICT sector; and serve as an opportunity to review the relevance of the Nigerian policy environment vis-a-vis the telecom operating environment.

ATCON has also revealed that Isa Pantami, minister of Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, is expected to deliver the Principal Keynote Address on “Enhancing the contributions of sub-sector in the Nigerian national broadband plans through enabling policies.”

Also, Umar Danbatta, the executive vice chairman of the NCC; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the director-general of NITDA, and Aliyu Aziz Abubakar, the director-general of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)would share their respective commissions and agency’s perspective via a paper presentation on “Aggregating the potentials of the sub-sector to meet the new broadband set target of 70%”.

ATCON sees each sub-sector is seen as an integral part of the entire ecosystem of the Nigerian telecom and ICT sector.

As such, it added, that selected representative of various subgroups would be expected to make a presentation on how the new National Nigeria Broadband Plan 2020-2025 is impacting the subsector and list what can be done to make the plan realise its set targets on or before the stated period.