Technology company Bitflux Communications has edged Nigeria’s second largest mobile operator to win a bid to manage a 2.3 GHz spectrum in the country.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) officially made this announcement on Wednesday following an auction at the Transcorp Hilton, Maitama in Abuja.

Bitflux Communications, which has been described as a consortium of startups, bid $23.251 million for the frequency.

The other selected bidder in the race for the frequency was Globacom, which runs a mobile network (Glo Mobile) in the country with 25 million subscribers. Globacom also has interests in West Africa’s fibre space, as it manages the Glo-1 subsea broadband cable connecting the UK to Nigeria.

The auctioning of the 2.3 GHz frequency; though, forms part of the NCC’s plan to have a wholesale broadband provider in the country as part of its ‘Open Access Broadband Strategy’.

The NCC has also previously said that it plans to allow the winner to forge an alliance with an existing Unified Access Service License (UASL) owner.