The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), is set to develop a framework for the use of Television White Space (TVWS) technology to extend affordable rural connectivity to Nigerians.
The initiative, midwifed by the Ministry of Communications following approval for the use of the TVWS technology by the National Frequency Management Council (NFCM), was the fulcrum of discussion by stakeholders at a one-day consultative forum organised by the NCC in Abuja yesterday.
TVWS is the unused spectrum in the broadcasting band, which can be used to deliver affordable broadband services in the rural communities, thereby bridging rural-urban digital divide. In Nigeria, TVWS is being deployed to extend connectivity to over 56 per cent of Nigerians living in the rural areas.
Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, in his opening remarks, said the government approved the use of TVWS so as to “extend broadband Internet coverage, especially to rural communities and other far-flung communities and increase broadband penetration in Nigeria.” Read more