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Technical Regulation
- Research & Development
Research & Development
The Research and Development (R&D) activities of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) involve conducting and supporting cutting edge research into emerging technologies that promote the better understanding of trends in the Telecommunications industry, and provide information/data to support the development of necessary strategies, standards and guidelines, and championing telecommunications-based innovations that provide life changing solutions to societal challenges.
To this end, the R&D Department of the NCC provides grants to support research by leading academics and researchers from Nigerian tertiary institutions, and holds regular competitions e.g. "Hackathons" open to technology hubs and Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDE) to stimulate innovation and development in the telecommunications and digital economy sector in Nigeria.
Click here for the current List of Ongoing Research Grant Projects
Click here for the list List of Competition Winners
Digital technology brings communication, education, shopping, entertainment, news, games, fun and much more to everyone, including children. Technology provides children instantaneous access to huge quantities of beneficial materials and offers them a participatory pathway to involvement in society. Digital technology, especially the Internet, is also a vector for cyber-criminals to dispense harm, annoyance and other wrongdoings.
The proliferation of digital technologies is accompanied by increasing concern about children’s exposure to associated risks and threats. Exposure to risks turns out to be a general side effect of today’s children growing up in a digital world. This calls for a pragmatic approach to mitigate the desire to avoid risks and the necessity to access beneficial materials and to balance the immense benefits of digital technology with the safety of the children.
This study is designed to provide an accurate depiction of how children consume digital technology in Nigeria. As such, the respondent pool is structured in favour of children of 4-16 years of age. The study explores the issue of children’s device ownership, usage and benefits in pari passu with their awareness of the risks and challenges.
The Nigerian Communications Commission, the Regulator of the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, supports amongst other things, telecommunications-based research innovations from tertiary institutions in the country that are practical, locally realisable and have clear potential of contributing to the development of the telecommunications industry.
Pursuant to this objective the Commission invites proposals from academics in tertiary institutions that have feasible research ideas, capable of replacing or enhancing foreign technologies in the telecommunications ecosystem in Nigeria. It is envisaged that the initiative will help build capacity in the tertiary institutions and promote Nigeria’s contribution to the pool of technologies in use in the communications industry.
The Commission has awarded the 2020 Research Grants (Telecommunications-based Research Innovations from Academics in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions programme) to the tune of Fifty Four Million Seven Hundred and Five Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty Two Naira, Fourteen Kobo (₦54,705,632.14) only to the five (5) tertiary institutions that were adjudged to have best responded to the Request For Proposals published in national dailies and on the Commission’s website and Social Media handles on Thursday July 3, 2020.
The impact of the ICT revolution is now evident in virtually all countries, Nigeria, inclusive. Hence, the phenomenal global transition toward a "digital economy" with an estimated worth of $11.5 trillion globally. Today in Nigeria, it is estimated that there are about 210-250 FinTech operators/companies operating in the Nigerian space, and these players have brought about the valuation of the industry to $153.1 million in 2017 and is projected to rise up to $543.3 million by 2022.
This study therefore intends to address and/or proffer possible practical and lasting solutions to the aforementioned challenges and problems regarding data and FinTech and its role in the development of the digital economy with Nigerian firms as a case study.
Understanding how Financial Institutions work and their willingness to adapt to trending technologies, partnership or funding FinTech firms, would propel rapid development of the Nigerian digital economy. Also, the results of the research would aid Regulatory decision making which is envisaged to lead to improved ICT infrastructure, reduce the number of the unbanked population, and foster increased due diligence and protection of citizens' data.
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Emerging Role Of Data And Fintech In The Development Of Digital Economy
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The NCC has over the years licensed many ISPs but findings show that not all are still in business. Internet Service Providers in the Nigerian telecommunications industry have been struggling to stay afloat due to challenges confronting their market to remain in business, expand operations and post profit after every financial year. As ISPs serve as the gateway to the internet and a digitized world, it is imperative to understand the reason for their demise as it has impact on the digitization agenda of Nigeria.
The objectives of this study are; to examine the challenges facing Internet Service Providers and their survivability in Nigeria, to identify the problems, challenges and prospects of the internet service sector, to find out the determinant factors that affect the expansion (growth) of the sector, to look at the reason why Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are failing in Nigeria, and to examine the contemporary positions and challenges faced by the ISPs in Nigeria and the nature of how they have continued to serve as obstacles to their survivability.