NCC confirms Airtel as sole bidder for new 5G licence

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has verified that Airtel Nigeria is the exclusive telecom operator prepared to propose for the 3.5GHz spectrum license for 5G implementation.

In anticipation of the auction set for December 19, the telco was the initial entity to remit the $27.36 million intention to bid deposit.

As per a statement from the NCC that reporters were able to acquire, only two telecom firms had expressed interest in the auction by the deadline, which occurred on Monday, December 5, 2022. The participating telcos are Airtel and Standard Network & Connections Limited.

CBN cautions banks, payment service providers, and others against card discrimination

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has urged against bias between payment cards issued by Nigerian financial institutions. This advisory has been directed towards banks, switching companies, and other pertinent entities within the Nigerian payment framework.

A memorandum dispatched to all banks, switching companies, and other entities includes this warning and is signed by Musa Jimoh, Director of the Payments System Management Department at the CBN.

The apex bank’s recent directive on over-the-counter cash withdrawal ceiling for individuals and enterprises, along with withdrawal caps for Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) and Point of Sale, emerges as it intensifies its efforts towards promoting a cashless economy (POS).

Jimoh mentioned that the memorandum titled, ‘Re: Interoperability and Interconnectivity of the Payments System Infrastructure in Nigeria’, serves as a reminder of some provisions in its Guidelines regarding the operations of electronic payment channels in Nigeria (June 2020).

POS terminals must accommodate all cards

Jimoh emphasized that merchant acquirers must ensure that the purchased and deployed POS terminals can accommodate all cards.

The memorandum states, ‘’The Central Bank of Nigeria has noticed that several acceptance devices deployed by banks exhibit discrimination against payment cards. To clarify, all certified payment acceptance devices deployed in Nigeria are mandated to accept ALL transactions initiated by any card issued by any Nigerian bank.

‘’The memorandum acts as a reminder of the subsequent provisions of the Guidelines regarding operations of electronic payment channels in Nigeria (June 2020);