Nigerian government targets $1bn from broadcast frequency sale
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Nigerian government targets $1bn from broadcast frequency sale

The federal government of Nigeria has set out plans to raise at least $1 billion from the sale of broadcast frequency to telecoms providers.

The African nation is set to move from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 2017, with plans to transit the analogue spectrum into telecoms services.

The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the government could raise around $1 billion from the sale of the converted spectrum. He was speaking during the 11th edition of Africast.

He said, “The Nigerian government can raise a digital dividend of $1bn from the sale of spectrum, thereby ensuring that the whole digital switch over programme is self-funding. 

"The digitisation of broadcasting offers Nigeria a lot of opportunities. The benefits are multifaceted and very far-reaching in the areas of economics, politics, education, entertainment, science and technology and several other ways.

“Many have said that the impact of digitisation on television will be revolutionary and I cannot agree less. With digitisation, the TV industry in Nigeria will be able to raise over $Ibn in one year. Also, digitisation will increase the number of the current 450 TV stations in Nigeria.”

Digital television consumes just a fraction of the spectrum required for analogue broadcasting, with just three transmission providers requiring frequency under the new system.

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