The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has rolled out the free internet service for p
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has rolled out the free internet service for public secondary and public tertiary institution students. This is according to a joint statement released on October 1 by the NCC and ALTON, as seen by Technext.
The Zero Rated Data Access to Approved Educational Platforms and Content initiative seeks to reduce the cost of data for digital learning, increase the chance of online research and support studying via approved platforms. Part of its ambition is to promote equal access to online resources and communication services nationwide.
The NCC EVC/CEO, Dr Aminu Maida, said the initiative is part of the federal government’s broader goal to equip Nigerians with digital skills and knowledge to advance human capital development. He added that it aligns with the administration’s vision of building a $1 trillion economy, which relies on digital inclusivity and human capital investment.
“If the economy becomes more productive through these people who access these educational platforms, they are the future innovators in Nigeria; they are the ones who are going to come up with ideas and become leaders of tomorrow,” he said in the statement, describing the initiative as a long-term investment.
NCC EVC/CEO, Dr Aminu Maida
He added that “making them more productive is going to create more opportunities for the sector to grow.”
Also read: What FG’s plan to regulate under-16 internet access could mean for Nigerian children.
The Zero-rated access to educational platforms was recently mentioned by Idris Olorunnimbe, NCC’s chairman. In his Medium post in March, he signalled shades of hope, where he satirically tagged the free internet to education access as “Awo’s free education policy in the digital age.”
He described it as a movement from free schools to free data. He added that partnership with state governments, protection of telecom infrastructure, and internet coverage for remote areas were leading plans for implementation.
100 MB/day, 3GB/month: who is eligible?According to the conclusion of the consultative document released in July, learners eligible for the 100MB daily zero-rated data initiative are students enrolled in public senior secondary schools and public tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The project is expected to cover about 5 million students in public senior secondary and tertiary institutions, while plans are underway to extend the free data program to other categories of learners later.
With the NCC-ALTON partnership, telecom operators, including MTN, Airtel, and Globacom, will champion the daily distribution of the free mobile data.
Nigerian students Learning (IM: UNICEF)
However, the 100MB daily allowance works exclusively on approved and whitelisted educational platforms, such as digital libraries, learning management systems, and vocational training portals.
With 100MB per day, this means a learner would have access to about 700MB of educational data each week, roughly 3GB every month, and up to 36.5GB annually.
Telecom operators back 100MB/day initiativeTelecom operators, under ALTON, have also demonstrated their commitment to the Zero-Rated Access initiative.
Speaking on their past contributions, ALTON Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, said telcos and the wider technology industry have, in recent times, contributed ₦200 billion to the initial pilot involving 5,000 learners, an aid made via financial and in-kind contributions.
Adebayo noted that operators are absorbing the cost of providing the connectivity and network capacity required to implement the project. He added that this forms a significant commitment of network resources and brings together other facilities involving Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), TowerCos and other technology stakeholders.
“This is a partnership in the truest sense: Government provides the policy and educational framework; the regulator provides coordination and oversight; telecommunications operators provide connectivity and network resources; while OEMs, TowerCos and other technology partners contribute devices, terminals and other critical resources,” he said.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of ALTON
Also read:Ministry of Education launches online platform for academic credentials verification.
Response to criticsWhile the initiative seeks to bring Nigerian learners online and provide access to educational platforms, it has experienced backlash from Nigerians. Several netizens have questioned the allocation of 100MB per day and how mobile data, not enough to load up to five or ten online pages, can last a day.
In response, the NCC Chief said the significance of the initiative should be viewed beyond the daily 100MB allocation, particularly when considered over time and across the millions of learners expected to benefit from it.
“One hundred megabytes of data might sound like a little, but when you look at it over a month and over a year, and cumulatively over the millions of learners and students that are going to access it, it’s really a significant investment by the industry towards the future of this country,” he added.
Corroborating Maida’s stance, the ALTON Chairman asked Nigerians to look beyond the allocation and focus on its potential to enable Nigerian learners to access knowledge, prepare for examinations, conduct research, acquire digital skills and participate in the emerging digital economy.
