Major telecoms operators in the country have made a cumulative investment of $25 billion in the provision of infrastructure over the last 12 years of the telecoms revolution, says Airtel Nigeria’s CEO, Segun Ogunsanya.
Addressing the Nigerian Telecoms Development Lecture (NITDEL) in Lagos, Ogunsanya said Africa was the last frontier of development, adding that when there is development, poverty will be wiped off people’s faces. He pledged the telco’s support to Federal Government’s National Broadband Plan, and called for speedy implementation of the plan, because it could grow the nation’s gross domestic product to N190 billion by 2015.
According to him, the internet contributes 2.9 per cent to the development of global economies, stressing that India and China already have five per cent and three per cent contribution respectively their GDP. He said Airtel was committed to partnering with the Federal Government to deliver excellent broadband services and also develop the economy.
He described government’s coming up with a broadband blueprint as a right step in the right direction and assured that the telco is deeply committed to partnering with the government to implement the plan and facilitate availability of broadband to the citizens to support the Transformation Agenda of government.
Beyond policy direction, he also called on the government to focus on driving broadband adoption and utilisation, noting that government’s patronage of readily available local applications and solutions will be a great boost just as partnerships with telecoms operators, ICT players and development partners will also help drive utilisation.
“As it concerns broadband adoption and utilisation, there should be government’s affirmative action targeting the delivery of social and public services over broadband. The zeal applied by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Government in e-payment and Cashless Policy initiatives should also be replicated in driving adoption and utilization by the populace,” he said.
He said the implementation requires long-term commitment and significant action by all tiers of government as well as the executive and legislative arms of government – alongside strong private sector participation.
Ogunsanya, who spoke on the theme, The Nigerian Telecoms Market: Championing the African Cause through Broadband, said Airtel is providing the government with support on different fronts including further expansion of its 3.75G Network footprints to cover even more cities and upgrade of its network to 4G on Long Term Evolution (LTE) as soon as spectrum becomes available.
He added that Airtel is in partnership with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in a bid to make smart phones more affordable for consumers.
He disclosed that Airtel has partnered with five state governments to implement a number of e-social services initiatives vis-à-vis e-education, e-government and e-health. “Airtel is willing to partner with all 36 States Governments and the Federal Government to deliver Broadband solutions that meet their requirements, since we have the largest and widest 3.75G coverage across Nigeria,” Ogunsanya said.