Nigeria has budgeted 3 billion naira (US$25.7 million) to subsidize the cost of providing shared infrastructure for telecommunication service providers, according to the chief executive of the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Dr. Ernest Ndukwe said that constructing shareable infrastructure such as masts and towers, land perimeter fence, generators, storage tanks for fuel, and shelter will help extend telecom and ICT services to underserved communities in Nigeria.
The project will build on the progress made with Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in encouraging the rapid deployment of mobile communication and associated ICT services to rural communities, Ndukwe said.
“The new initiative when properly implemented will also reduce, if not totally eliminate, the need for each service provider to construct and own individual masts and towers, generators and so on, as well as reduce the usual concerns about associated impact on the environment,” he said. It will also enable ICT providers to focus more on their core business of service provision, thereby improving overall operational efficiency.
Such projects have become imperative in view of the amount of human and material resources that are expended in constructing and maintaining such infrastructure by individual operators, especially in rural areas.
“It will obviously be a win-win situation for the operators, the co-location providers and the subscribers if the project is fully embraced by all stakeholders,” Ndukwe noted.
