Former Acting Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and former EVC/ CEO, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Dr. Bashir Gwandu, has urged African countries to unite and work together to secure 600 megahertz (MHz) band spectrum allocations.

The independent telecom expert stated this at the just concluded 9th Sub-Sahara Spectrum Management Conference 2024, held in Nairobi, Kenya on 6-7 November, organised by Forum Global on the third theme: “From WRC-23 to WRC-27- Emerging Landscapes & Technologies and the Path Ahead.”

Gwandu who held various chairmanship positions at the both the ITU and Commonwealth including the ITU Radiocommunications Advisory Group (the RAG), The Joint Task Group, and Common – wealth ITU Group (CIG), made the call during his opening remarks on the 600MHz spectrum discussions.

While making a presentation on the session: “The shape of Post-WRC spectrum ecosystems”, he called for cooperation among African countries at the forthcoming World Radiocommunications Conference 2027 (WRC-27) to enter Footnote 5.307A, which are radio regulations used to make spectrum allocation for a country or some countries.

Gwandu who played a key role in founding the ATU (African Telecommunications Union) WRC coordination meetings had expressed disappoint ment that the continent’s focus on collaborative efforts was waning.

At the core of the discussions was the 600MHz (3GGP n71) band, a key frequency range that many countries world – wide are increasingly allocating for IMT to support 4G and 5G networks.

While several nations in Regions 2 and 3, as well as some in ITU Region 1, have designated this band for mobile, some African countries are not yet ready to make the switch to co-primary allocation.