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The Nigerian government has approved an Enterprise Licensing Agreement (ELA) for Microsoft products and the clearing up of C-band Spectrum to accelerate the deployment of 5G services in the country.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMC&DE), these took place during the Wednesday meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the country’s highest decision making body.
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Approval followed presentation of three memos by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.
NCC gets approval to clear C-band spectrum for 5G
Also, the “Council also approved the request of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to clear part of the C-band spectrum within the country’s telecommunications industry of any encumbrances and migrate the current users on affected spectrum, towards the successful roll-out/deployment of 5G technology in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, with seven and a half (7.5) years before the end of the lifetime of NigComSat-1R Satellite, operated by Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), which currently operates C-Band services on the 3.4 – 3.9GHz spectrum range, NCC and NIGCOMSAT have come to an agreement to relocate/migrate the operations of NigComSat-1R C Band service to another frequency (Standard C Band) and release its current frequency for immediate deployment of 5G in the country.
Microsoft ELA is cost-reduction strategy
The government-wide ELA for Microsoft products is a software acquisition cost-reduction strategy for government and it will be implemented by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), under the supervision of the FMC&DE.
“This agreement is part of the Federal Government’s efforts towards keeping the cost of IT projects within sustainable levels. The Agreement will give the government access to discounted prices and other cost benefits, as well as reduce project duplication across Federal Public Institutions (FPIs). It will also guarantee proper technical support for Microsoft products and services, thereby ensuring protection against cybersecurity threats, which will guarantee availability and reliability of government IT services,” noted the statement issued by Dr. Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the minister.
The statement added: “The ELA will provide a projected savings of a minimum of 35% of Governments current investment in Microsoft Products and Services. This will not only substantially reduce the cost of license procurement for FPIs, it will reduce and simplify licensing complexity, facilitate accounting and cash flow predictability and monitor utilisation and impact of Government investment. The Council directed all FPIs to key into the Agreement in the procurement of Microsoft licenses and services.
Approved memos will accelerate NDEPS implementation
“The approved memos will accelerate the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), especially the pillars on solid infrastructure (broadband) and service infrastructure (platforms).
“The Ministry will continue to promote initiatives that will transform Nigeria into a country with a sustainable and thriving digital economy.”
