The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), has commenced zero-rated data access to approved educational platforms and content initiatives.

This was made known in a statement jointly signed by NCC’s spokesperson, Nnenna Ukoha, and ALTON chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, on Thursday.

Ms Ukoha said the initiative, which commenced on October 1, would provide eligible users with up to 100 megabytes (MB) of free daily data to access designated educational platforms.

“The programme is aimed at reducing the cost of digital learning and enabling learners to access educational resources, conduct research, take online courses and engage in other academic activities,” she said.

She said that under the operator-sponsored model, a learner receiving the full 100MB daily allowance could access about 700MB of educational content weekly, approximately 3GB monthly and up to 36.5GB annually.

Meanwhile, the executive vice-chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, said the initiative was part of broader government efforts to equip Nigerians with digital skills and knowledge and advance human capital development.

Mr Maida said the initiative’s significance should be viewed beyond the daily 100MB allocation, particularly over time and across the millions of learners expected to benefit.

“One hundred megabytes of data might sound 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 said.

Mr Maida said increased connectivity would also help bridge disparities in access to educational resources across different parts of the country.

“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.

Also, ALTON chairman Mr Adebayo said the telecommunications and wider technology industry had shown significant commitment to the initiative.

According to him, this has been delivered through financial and in-kind contributions valued at almost N200 billion for the initial pilot involving 5,000 learners.

Mr Adebayo said the aggregate value included the daily 100MB connectivity allocation, network resources, devices, terminals and other support provided by industry stakeholders.

He said the telecommunications operators were absorbing the cost of providing connectivity and network capacity required to deliver daily access to approved educational platforms.

Mr Adebayo said ALTON and its members remained committed to working with the federal government, NCC, the Federal Ministry of Education, and other stakeholders to ensure the investment produced measurable and lasting educational outcomes.

(NAN)