Almost seven months after its founding, the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) has awarded three telecom licenses to Airtel Nigeria Telesonic Limited, the company’s fibre service arm.
Three licenses were awarded to the network operator: one for Internet Service Provider, one for Sales and Installation Major, and one for National Long Distance.
The National Long Distance licence will go into effect on July 1, 2024, and expire on June 30, 2044. It will be valid for 20 years. The Sales and Installation Major licence and the Internet Service Provider licence, on the other hand, are valid for five years, from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2029.
With the NLDO licence, Telesonic will be able to provide long-distance phone services within Nigeria, enabling the business to set up and keep up the infrastructure required to connect calls and data across the nation.
On the other hand, the licence prohibits the holder from providing Internet access to end consumers directly or from providing international long-distance services. This license was also granted to Bayobab, an MTN Group subsidiary that specialises in digital infrastructure, in 2023.
With the Internet Service Provider license, the business will be able to compete with other providers like Spectranet and FibreOne by providing Internet services to clients. It enables holders to set up and run their own separate networks for the provision of these services.
There were 242 active Internet service providers in Nigeria as of July 2024, down from 252 in May 2024, after 12 allegedly neglected to renew their licenses, BrandSpur telecom and IT news reports.
Continuing, the telco can sell, install, and maintain telecom equipment thanks to the Sales & Installation Major licence.
Following a statement: “The principal activity of the company is to carry on business as manufacturers, importers, exporters, distributors and sellers of all types of fibre optic systems and networks, including cables and equipment used in a telecommunication network, multi-channel video communication, data network and all other forms of communication and electronic, medical or industrial applications.”
CEO of Airtel Africa Segun Ogunsanya said that the project would offer “cutting-edge fibre-optic solutions” to meet Africa’s digital needs in a variety of industries when the company announced the start of Telesonic in February 2024.
