10,000 Jobs At Risk Over Spectrum Sale – Reps

The House of Representatives on Thursday said up to 10,000 jobs were at risk of being lost in the telecommunications sector because of the decision of the Nigerian Communications Commission to auction the 2.6GHz spectrum.

The House argued that over the last 20 years, operators, particularly Microwave Multi-Point Distribution Service operators, had made huge investments in the sector.

It stated that the NCC’s decision to consider the bid of MTN for the spectrum without taking the rights of subsisting licensees could affect the operations of such investors, including job losses.

A lawmaker from Bayelsa State, Diri Nouye, who moved a motion on the matter, also noted that the losses of the subsisting licensees could be in billions of naira, besides putting over 10,000 jobs at risk.

The House directed its Committee on Telecommunications to investigate the auctioning of the spectrum.

The resolution to probe the 2.6GHz spectrum auction came after the House appeared to have given up on the investigation of the N1.04tn fine that the NCC slammed on MTN for Subscriber Identification Module card registration infractions.

The Federal Government had intervened in the case and reached a negotiated settlement of N330bn with MTN.

The House Committee on Telecommunications, which is chaired by Mr. Saheed Fijabi, had investigated the N1.04tn fine.

While the committee had insisted that MTN must pay the fine in full, the Federal Government and the NCC accepted the negotiated sum of N330bn.

But, on Thursday, Nouye introduced a fresh motion on a separate subject (the 2.6GHz spectrum) involving MTN and the NCC.