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

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

Several 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; Telecom Services and Network Auditing; EF-GEE Telecorp Limited; Aida Synergy Nig Limited, Trussnet Limited, Mfreke Ventures Limited; IT Port Limited, Conecom 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 disclosed that apart from the list, 18 other ISPs would renew their permits by 2017 and in 2018 and 2019; 20 and about 21 others are to rekindle theirs.

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

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

While the Government, through the ministry of Communications, has set 30 per cent it informed that now, the country accounts for 29 per cent of Internet use on the continent as well as the figure is likely to grow.

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

Already, two companies secured licenses early a year ago to service Lagos as well as the North Central zones. The businesses are IHS Communications and MainOne Cable. The remaining five InfraCos are anticipated to be licensed prior to the conclusion Federal Republic of Nigeria this year in addition to selling some spectrum permits, notably the 2.6GHz spectrum band, postponed severally last year.