The ratification of an Enterprise Licensing Agreement for Microsoft goods and the freeing of C-band spectrum are two recent steps taken by the Federal Government to hasten the rollout of 5G services in the nation.
This comes after Isa Pantami, the minister of communications and digital economy, presented three memos during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on June 29, 2022.
The Technical Assistant (Research and Development) to the Minister of Communications and the Digital Economy, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, made this information in a statement.
Government software acquisition costs will be reduced through the Government-wide Enterprise Licensing Agreement for Microsoft products, which will be implemented by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) under the direction of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
The Federal Government is working to keep the cost of IT projects within manageable ranges as part of this agreement.
Going further Adeluyi in the statement said, ‘’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.
‘’The Enterprise Licensing Agreement 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.’’
According to the statement, FEC instructed all FPIs to enter the Agreement while purchasing Microsoft licenses and services.
In order to successfully roll out and implement 5G technology in Nigeria, the council also authorized the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) request to free up a portion of the C-band spectrum used by the nation’s telecoms industry and move any existing customers on that frequency.
