African countries should form a common front to secure the 600 megahertz (MHz) band spectrum allocations, Dr. Bashir Gwandu, Nigeria’s former telecoms regulatory chief and independent telecoms expert has said.
Gwandu’s call comes ahead of plans by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the UN specialised agency on ICT and other bodies to allocate the key 600MHz spectrum.
Gwandu, a former Acting Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and former EVC/CEO, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), made the call at the 9th Sub-Sahara Spectrum Management Conference 2024, held November 6-7 in Kenya and organised by Forum Global on the theme: “From WRC-23 to WRC-27- Emerging Landscapes & Technologies and the Path Ahead.”
“When we meet as a family, we must be honest with ourselves. Some of us who helped to initiate the ATU WRC coordination meetings are disheartened by how we, as Africans, continue to fight each other in order to win the occupancy of the back seat, whilst neglecting each other’s interests.
“When making decisions, we must consider the unique circumstances of each country, such as geographical size, population and data demand, the capital expenditure required for coverage, the dispersed nature of our rural settlements, the 50% urban to rural connectivity-divide in Africa and the energy costs to power the high throughput systems in rural areas,” he added.
600MHz spectrum request of 10 African nations was blocked, Gwandu says
Gwandu, who held various chairmanship positions at the both the ITU and Commonwealth including the ITU Radiocommunications Advisory Group (the RAG), The Joint Task Group, and Commonwealth ITU Group (CIG), made the call during his opening remarks on the 600MHz spectrum discussions.
While making a presentation on the session: “The Shape of Post-WRC Spectrum Ecosystems”, Gwandu called for cooperation among African countries at the forthcoming World Radiocommunications Conference 2027 (WRC-27) to enter Footnote 5.307A, which are radio regulations used to make spectrum allocation for a country or some countries.
The Nigerian telecoms expert, who played a key role in founding the ATU (African Telecommunications Union) WRC coordination meetings, expressed disappointment that the continent’s focus on collaborative efforts was waning.
At the core of the discussions was the 600MHz (3GGP n71) band, a key frequency range that many countries worldwide are increasingly allocating for IMT to support 4G and 5G networks.
While several nations in Regions 2 and 3, as well as some in ITU Region 1, have designated this band for mobile, Gwandu is worried that some African countries are not yet ready to make the switch to co-primary allocation.
Eleven African countries had requested at the WRC-23 for primary mobile allocation of spectrum and IMT identification in the 614-694MHz band, but only Egypt was granted while countries like Rwanda, Guinea, Benin Republic, and Cameroon, blocked requests from 10 other African nations with similar aspirations, Gwandu said.
The 10 countries that were blocked include Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, Libya, Chad, Gambia, Sudan, Namibia, Somalia, and Tanzania.
Gwandu believes that fighting for status quo to remain or ‘No Change’ in this case is akin to refusing an available front seat and fighting for a back seat.
“Therefore, colleagues, something clearly went wrong at WRC23, and we as Africans need to address it. We must work together, have positive dialogue on challenges, and optimise the use of opportunities. Reasonable countries have always found solutions to accommodate the needs of their neighbours instead of blocking them,” Gwandu said while urging the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) to remain effective by following its rules.
According to him, the 600MHz band issue is clear: the world is moving towards IMT in this band, with some countries ready now and others later. “Eventually, most of us will adopt it. Many region 2 and Region 3 countries have taken primary allocation to mobile in the band, and even in region 1, a number of countries have already changed the use status of this band to include either primary or secondary mobile.”
According to him, those that are not ready should not obstruct others that are prepared to move forward.
Countries, Gwandu said, develop at different rates, and the ITU Resolution 26 that requires consent before amending footnotes is intended to promote harmonisation, “not to delay a clear direction, or block progress.” There is a need to provide regulatory certainty to different industries, Gwandu noted.
If many countries in other regions and Africa have not taken the steps to upgrade the mobile service in the band, “then yes, we can try to convince colleagues in Africa to hold, but, this is not the case. The direction is now clear – 600MHz band will be allocated on primary basis to mobile. It is almost black and white,” he added.
“When we meet as a family, we must be honest with ourselves. Some of us who helped to initiate the ATU WRC coordination meetings are disheartened by how we, as Africans, continue to fight each other in order to win the occupancy of the back seat, whilst neglecting each other’s interests.
“When making decisions, we must consider the unique circumstances of each country, such as geographical size, population and data demand, the capital expenditure required for coverage, the dispersed nature of our rural settlements, the 50% urban to rural connectivity-divide in Africa and the energy costs to power the high throughput systems in rural areas,” he added.
These factors differ for each country, and thus the frequency allocation solution for a smaller country like Rwanda or Benin cannot be the same for larger nations like Nigeria or Namibia, the Nigerian former telecoms regulatory chief said.
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