MTN gets 10-year licence renewal, pays NCC N72bn

MTN Nigeria says it has paid N72 billion to the Nigerian Communications Commission for the renewal of its Universal Access Licence and spectrum license for local wireless loop for another 10-year period.

The MTN’s Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, stated this in a letter to the Nigerian Exchange Limited, adding that the NCC had acknowledged the payment of N71.6bn for the spectrum licence and N374.6 million for the UAS licence.
The licences, which expired on August 31, 2021, have now been renewed for a further 10 year period, beginning from September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2031.

Commenting on the renewal, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Karl Toriola , said, “Renewing our licences for another 10 years is very important to our business and enables us to continue to provide services to ensure the benefits of a modern connected life for our people. MTN is delighted with its strong partnership with the NCC and looks forward to working closely with the commission and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.”

Toriola said the spectrum licence would enable it provide its 3G and 4G technology services to its over 73 million subscribers in Nigeria.

While the 900MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum band are used mainly for voice, MTN uses its 2600MHz spectrum licence for 4G, which is mainly for data.