The licences given to these ISPs by the Nigerian Communications Commission to operate in the industry became invalid in December 2010, statistics on the NCC website showed.
The NCC said on its website that the licences, which became operational from December 1, 2005, were only valid for five years.
An ISP is a company that provides Internet connectivity for homes and corporate customers.
The NCC gave licences to about 200 ISPs to provide Internet services in the country in 2005.
Statistics obtained from the NCC website, however, showed that 21 of the licences had since expired, but had not been renewed by the holders.
The operators affected, according to the NCC are IT & C Networks Limited, Trendage Integrated Limited, Alpha Consortium Limited, Spaceway Nigeria Limited, Connet Centre Dot Net Limited and Pima Systems Limited. Their licences expired on November 30, 2010.
Talk 24 Nigeria Limited, Zipnet Broadband Communications Limited, Safety Line Communications Limited, Intercom Data Network Limited and Digital Fusion Limited got their licences on January 1, 2006. These licences expired on December 31, 2010.
Also, Sagecom Concept Limited, M-Web Nigeria Limited and IPNX Nigeria Limited, which were given licences to operate on February 1, 2006, are assumed to have been operating illegally since January 31, 2011, when the licences expired.
The operating licences of Targ E Comm & T Comm Limited, Pole Star Communications Limited, Quantum Voice System Limited, Ennovation Technologies Limited, Westcom Wireless Limited and Hephzibah Computer Engineering Limited expired in February 2011.
According to the NCC, seven more licences will expire in May, four in June, while three will expire between August and November 2011.
When contacted, the Head, Media and Public Relations, NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka, said every licence granted by the telecommunications regulatory body had a specified tenure and that once the tenure was over, the licences were no longer valid.
He said, “There are many ISPs in Nigeria. The telecoms companies are also ISPs because they offer Internet connectivity. However, if the licence granted for such operation is expired, it becomes invalid and such operator is presumed to be operating illegally if it does not renew it.”
Mouka further explained that the NCC was an operator-friendly regulatory body that would encourage the operators to do the right thing at all time.
He, therefore, encouraged the affected operators to renew their licences, while arguing that the required fee for the renewal was affordable.
When asked whether the NCC had done anything to remind the operators about the expiration of their licences, Mouka said, “Apart from writing letters to the affected companies, they are presumed to be aware of the development because the information is on the commission’s website and it is believed to be public knowledge.”
But experts said that many of the licensed ISPs had stopped operating and were only existing in name.
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