ABOUT 21 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operating in Nigeria are expected to renew their operating licenses in 2016 following their expiration of their permit.

According to information collected from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) web site the service providers were issued the operating licenses in 2011. According Nigerian to NCC, the ISPs were licensed for a period of five years.

A few of the licensees include: Gilat Satcom Nig Limited; Quautet (W.A.) Limited; Kalex Global Solutions Limited; City Central Communications Limited; Global TT Data Networks Limited; Single Eagle Technologies Limited; Hajara Ihsan Nigeria Limited; Network Information Technology Nig, Limited; Lexican Investment Limited.

Others are MainOne Cable Co. Limited; Network Auditing and Telecom Services; EF-GEE Telecorp Limited; Aida Synergy Nig Limited, Trussnet Limited, Mfreke Ventures Limited; Conecom Limited, IT Port Limited; VDT Communications Limited; Juniper Solutions Limited; Layer3 Limited; Artifice Colony Nigeria Limited.

Those listed are licensees whose licenses would expire by August 2016 and expired between June 2015.

Disclosure that was additional revealed that apart from the list, 18 other ISPs would renew their licenses by 2017 and in 2018 and 2019; about 21 and 20 others are to revive theirs respectively.

Other strategies been explored by authorities to ensure pervasive and ubiquitous broadband penetration in the country comprised the licensing of Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos). They are going to be six representing the geo-political zones of the nation and Lagos.

Up to now, the NCC has issued about 200 ISPs with operating licenses to offer Internet services in the country. The licensees, operating in various parts of the nation, had helped in taking Internet services to individuals, businesses and governments.

Really, while Nigeria has crossed the 100 per cent teledensity mark central 2015, as at September 2015, the current subscribers' statistics showed that there 150 million phone (voice) users and 97 million Internet subscribers, mainly using on the narrow band. The broadband penetration in the state crawls despite bandwidth glut in the united states, at 10 per cent.

While the Federal Republic of Nigeria Government, through the ministry of Communications, has set 30 per cent broadband penetration target for 2018, it advised the amount is likely to increase and also that now, the country accounts for 29 per cent of Internet usage on the continent.

Already, two businesses procured licenses early last year to service Lagos along with the North Central zones. The firms are MainOne Cable and IHS Communications. The residual five InfraCos are likely to be licensed prior to the finish of the year along with selling some spectrum licenses, especially the 2.6GHz spectrum band, postponed severally last year.