GLOBAL BROADBAND USF LEADERS FORUM 2012

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION:

PRESENTATIONS BY

THE SECRETARY, UNIVERSAL SERVICE PROVISION FUND (USPF)

ABDULLAHI MAIKANO

ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF USF

The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) No 19 of 2003, Part IV detail the Universal Service Provision in Nigeria known as the Universal Service Provision Fund.

Section 115 establishes the USP Board with the mandate to supervise and provide broad policy directions for the management of the USP Fund.

Section 118 establishes the USP Secretariat and states that it shall reside in the Commission (NCC) and shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Universal Service Provision.

The Universal Access and Universal Service Regulation 2007 Section (2) states that “The ultimate objectives of the system of universal access and universal service provision described in sub-paragraph (1) of the regulation are to:

promote greater social equity and inclusion for the people of Nigeria; and Contribute to national economic, social and cultural development of Nigeria

ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF USF (CONT.)

The USP Secretariat carries out the general statutory mandate of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Universal Access and Universal Service by:

 

‘… promoting the widespread availability and usage of network services and application services throughout Nigeria by encouraging the installation of network facilities and the provision of network services and applications services to institutions and in unserved, underserved areas or for underserved groups within the community’

ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF USF (CONT.) The USPF became operational in 2007 with

the inauguration of the Board.

The Board of the USPF approved a Strategic Plan 2007 – 2011 which consists of five (5) broad goals to promote the widespread availability and usage of network and applications services throughout Nigeria (including unserved, underserved areas or for underserved groups within the community)

These goals include:1. To facilitate an Enabling Environment for ICT 2. To promote Universal Access 3. To promote Universal Coverage 4. To facilitate Connectivity for Development (C4D) 5. To enable Institutional Development

USPF FUNDINGCOLLECTION

Primary sources:Appropriation from national AssemblyContributions from the NCCIncomes from its operations and investments

Secondary Sources:Gifts, Aids, DonationLoans, Grants

However, till date, the only collection has been contributions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which is 1% of the 2.5% Annual Operating Levy (AOL) collected from Licensed Operators

USPF FUNDING (CONT.)DISTRIBUTION

USP Fund distribution is in two prongs:Top down ProjectsBottom-ups projects

Top down Projects – These are universal service and universal access projects that are conceived by the Secretariat to bridge the ICT gaps in unserved and underserved areas or communities.

Bottom-ups projects: These are ICT self sustaining projects designed by the public with the aim of providing ICT services to organizations/communities. The projects that will be supported by the USPF will be socially desirable and economically viable.

UTILIZING USP FOR NATIONAL EDUCATION TRANSFORMATIONThe USP Fund has implemented some projects

for national education transformation and these include:

1.School Access Projects (SAP) -The aim is to facilitate digital lifestyle in the schools as well as in the school communities. Each benefitting institution is provided with 100 Classmate PCs and accessories as well as high speed internet connectivity.

The schools are encouraged to share these facilities with their surrounding communities on a commercial basis to support maintenance and ensure sustainability where specified.

UTILIZING USP FOR NATIONAL EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION (CONTD)2. Tertiary Institutions Access Project (TiAP) – This project is aimed at facilitating connectivity to broadband Internet with speed of up to 1Mbps to tertiary institutions. The beneficiary institutions receive 100 computers, 2 printers each including network facilities and fire walls with broadband Internet connectivity.

3. eLibrary Project - project is to provide platform for online real time searchable portal for displaying library documents and educational database to ensure that users have unlimited access to wealth of knowledge, educational materials, developmental issues and on wide range of subjects globally.

UTILIZING USP FOR NATIONAL EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION (CONT.)

It is envisaged that the various educational transformation projects will lead to capacity development in the ICT industry by encouraging innovation amongst users to develop local version of the various educational platforms in future and also add value to the use of ICT.

UTILIZING USF FOR RURAL CONNECTIVITY, BROADBAND TELECENTERS, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROJECTS

The USP Fund has deployed and is continually developing projects that will help facilitate rural connectivity. These programmes are:

a.Community Communication Centers - This initiative is a partnership programme between the USPF and local entrepreneurs to establish sustainable communication centres that would drive developments within the benefiting communities. The CCC is a community-based ICT centre that is set up to provide telephony and internet services as well as ICT-based training and other services on a shared basis. 146 Centres have been deployed in various communities.

UTILIZING USF FOR RURAL CONNECTIVITY, BROADBAND TELECENTERS, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROJECTS

Accelerated Mobile Phone Expansion Project (AMPE) - This initiative is designed to improve voice telephony coverage in the country. The USP Fund subsidise the cost of building out Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), which are essential infrastructure for the extension of mobile telephony services to unserved and underserved communities.

 

Over the past few years, the USPF working with the mobile operators has enabled the construction of 59 BTS across communities in remote unserved and underserved locations. Without such collaboration, some of these communities may be excluded from the ICT revolution for a much longer time.

Challenges

Sustainability of the Projects The issue of ownership of the projects by the benefiting

communities/ institutions and adoption of ICT in everyday activity.

Connectivity via VSAT - high cost of providing internet access to communities

Power challenges – Solar Panels vs. Generators

Current focus Development of Strategic

Management Plan 2013 -2017 Focus shifting to broadband infrastructure provision

Backbone Transmission (BTRAIN)

Rural Broadband Initiative (RUBI)

Backbone Transmission Infrastructure (BTRAIN) Programme:

This initiative will result in the build out of fibre transmission backbone across the country. The programme is designed to ensure that the National Transmission Backbone Infrastructure extends access from state capitals and major cities to or links the unserved and underserved areas to the National Transmission Backbone Infrastructure.

The BTRAIN Programme will link Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the rural communities to modern communications (broadband) infrastructure that would improve business operations. In addition, the fibre transmission infrastructure is designed to also link existing business clusters as well as institutions such as hospitals, schools, cultural/heritage cites etc.

Rural Broadband Initiative (RUBI):

This programme will result in the provision of Internet services and applications that would support socio-economic activities in the unserved and underserved communities as well as support other USPF supported programmes such as CCC, SAP, TiAP, as well as other institutions such as hospitals. The initiative is to also facilitate the rapid take up other applications and services centred on the internet in the locations e.g. e-library, e-health, e-government etc.

THANK YOU