BY BANYO TEMITAYO
BROADBAND penetration in Nigeria increased to 45.43 per cent at the end of October 2020, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, dislosed on Wednesday.
Pantami linked the improvement to an increase of 4,061,731 broadband subscriptions between September and October 2020.
He said the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy paved the way for the rise in broadband subscriptions across Nigeria during the review month.
Pantami disclosed this in a statement by his Technical Assistant, Information Technology, Femi Adeluyi, in Abuja.
The minister said the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 had impacted significantly on broadband penetration, noting that the plan was implemented alongside the harmonisation of Right-of-Way charges in all states, as well as the protection of critical national infrastructure across the country.
He explained that broadband was critical to sustainable economic growth, adding that it grows the economy by enhancing efficiency in business processes, as well as accelerating innovation.
Quoting a report titled, ‘How Important Are Mobile Broadband Networks for Global Economic Development,’ the statement said a 10 per cent increase in mobile broadband penetration would result in approximately 0.6 per cent to 2.8 per cent rise in Gross Domestic Product.
It added that in some countries, “it increases the GDP by over six per cent.”
Pantami has therefore directed the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Information Technology Development Agency, as the regulators of Internet services, to ensure that quality of service improves nationwide, according to the statement.
The minister noted that the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2020-2025), along with the harmonisation of Right of Way charges across the States and protection of Critical National Infrastructure across the country, among others, have had a significant impact on broadband penetration.
“Broadband is critical to sustainable economic growth and according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Broadband Series, broadband contributes to economic growth through more efficiency in business processes, acceleration of innovation, and more efficient functional deployment of enterprises,” he said.
“Broadband has supported the growth and enabled financial institutions in the delivery of services to their customers. It has also enabled the provision of digital services across the different sectors of the economy,” Pantami added.
