Federal Republic of Nigeria
Home Spectrum Administration Fees & Pricing

Spectrum Fees & Pricing

The Nigerian Communications Commission's spectrum pricing policy is targeted toward achieving the following objectives as set out in the Frequency Spectrum (Fees & Pricing) Regulations of 2004 (Amended 2009).

  • Establish a transparent, fair, competitive and non-discriminatory pricing structure that include, but not limited to, auctions, "beauty contest" and other internationally accepted methods of bidding for the acquisition of frequency spectrum;
  • Standardise frequency spectrum fees and pricing system in order to promote uniformity, consistency and efficiency in spectrum management in Nigeria in conformity with international standards;
  • Ensure that the prices reflect the market value and are directly proportional to frequency spectrum size;
  • Promote efficiency and competition in the usage of frequency spectrum;
  • Facilitate access to frequency spectrum by simplifying and harmonising the electronic magnetic wave spectrum pricing process; and
  • To achieve government policy objectives of even development of telecommunications infrastructure across Nigeria and the universal service goals.

Please see below for the pricing formulas for Commercial Frequency Spectrum and Microwave Frequency Spectrum respectively.

Pricing for Commercial Frequency Spectrum

Download: Commercial Frequency Pricing Formula (85.3 kB)

The price of spectrum (excluding microwave frequencies) is calculated on an annual per state basis using the following formula;

Spectrum Fee = (U) × (B) × (K1) × (K2) per State

Where;

U = Unit Price: This varies according to Licensing Region/Tier of the State in which the applicant seeks to operate.
Tier State(s) Price (MHz/Year)
Tier 1 Lagos N3,000,000
Tier 2 Delta; Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Kaduna; Kano; and Rivers. N1,500,000
Tier 3 Abia; Anambra; Edo; Ogun; and Oyo. N1,200,000
Tier 4 Akwa Ibom; Bauchi; Benue; Borno; Cross River; Enugu; Imo; Kogi; Kwara, Niger; Ondo; Osun; and Plateau. N600,000
Tier 5 Adamawa; Bayelsa; Ebonyi; Ekiti; Gombe; Jigawa; Katsina; Kebbi; Nassarawa; Sokoto; Taraba; Yobe; and Zamfara.
 
N300,000
B = Assigned Bandwidth (Spectrum Size) in MHz
K1 = Band Factor
  • 1.0 for 3.5 GHz Band
  • 1.6 for 1.8/1.9 GHz Band
  • 1.4 for 800/900 MHz Band
  • 1.2 for 2.0 – 2.5 GHz Band
  • 0.33 for 10.5 GHz Band
  • 0.12 for 26 GHz
  • 2.0 for 450 MHz
  • 0.5 for 5.0 GHz
K2 = Tenure Duration Factor
  • 0.3 for 3 months
  • 1.0 for a 1 year License
  • 4.0 for a 5 year License (Standard)
  • 7.2 for a 10 year License
  • 10.4 for a 15 year License
Duplex/Simplex
For simplex channel, unit price per State will be half of equivalent duplex channel.
 

Pricing for Microwave Frequency Spectrum

Download: Microwave Frequency Pricing Formula (83.68 kB)

Microwave frequencies are not priced on State basis. Unit price is uniform throughout the Federation and subject to review, from time to time. The fee for microwave frequencies is calculated using the formula below.

Price per Hop = (U) × (F1) × (F2) × (N) per Annum

Where;

U = Unit Price: N18,000
N = Total Number of RF Channels (for N+1 Systems)
F1 = Band Factor
  • 1.2 = 1 — 4 GHz Band
  • 1.0 = 6/7/8 GHz Band
  • 0.8 = 13 GHz Band
  • 0.7 = 15 — 18 GHz Band
  • 0.5 = 19 — 25 GHz Band
F2 = Bandwidth Factor
  • 1 = 3.5 MHz
  • 2 = 7 MHz
  • 4 = 14 MHz
  • 8 = 28 MHz
  • 16 = 56 MHz

Renewal Date
All microwave frequencies are subject to renewal by 31st December of every year.