Victor EzejaThe Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has debunked rumours on social media that MAFAB Communications has not rolled out 5G services since it was granted licence.
It would be recalled that MAFAB Communications was one of the two successful companies that won a 5G spectrum Licence in the auction conducted by NCC in December 2021 and subsequently paid $273.6 million in February 2022 for the licence.
The Commission said that contrary to the comments circulating on social media, MAFAB has actually launched its 5G services and is already deploying infrastructure for the service offerings.
A statement by the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, said MAFAB publicly launched its services in Abuja on January 24, 2023, and in Lagos on January 26, 2023.
The commission said it has been monitoring the progress of the rollout of 5G services by MAFAB and urged the public to disregard such comments.
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NCC’s statement said: “The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to some misleading comments on social media which falsely claimed that ‘MAFAB Communications, one of the companies granted Fifth Generation (5G) licences by the Commission is yet to roll out the service, nearly two years after obtaining a licence, and one year after the roll-out date.’
“For a fact, MAFAB Communications is one of the two successful companies that won a 5G Licence during the globally acclaimed transparent 5G Auction conducted by the Commission on December 13, 2021.
“Upon fulfilling the condition of payment for the fee of $273.6 million in February 2022, the company formally received the licence on February 22, 2022.
“Consequent upon the issuance of the 5G licence, and in line with the rollout conditions, MAFAB publicly launched its services in Abuja on January 24, 2023, and in Lagos on January 26, 2023. At launch, the services were targeted at six cities – Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Kaduna.
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“The Commission has continued to monitor the progress of rollout by MAFAB and has been regularly briefed about the status of infrastructure deployment for service offerings as conditioned in its operating licence.
“The public and all stakeholders should ignore the false and misleading information concerning the 5G rollout by MAFAB.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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