How 5G ’ll revolutionise ICT, economy, by NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said 5G would revolutionise the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and the larger economy in the post-coronavirus era.

Consequently, the regulator observed that the socio-economic benefits of the expansion in telecommunications capabilities it embarked upon would be handy, especially the rollout of the new technology that is currently being test run in some 40 countries.

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, stated that the exercise would significantly upgrade the networks and form the backbone of the sector’s post-pandemic recovery.

Addressing the virtual seminar of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association as a keynote speaker, the NCC boss submitted that 5G “is meant to seamlessly connect a mass number of embedded sensors in virtually everything through the ability to scale down in data rates, power and mobility – providing extremely lean and low-cost connectivity solutions.”

Represented by the Director, Technical Standard and Network Integrity, Bako Wakil at the event, with the theme, “Multi-Stakeholder Approach to National Recovery Post-Pandemic”, the EVC informed the participants that the commission was working round the clock to formulate a sustainable policy with inputs from other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the academia, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and Industry Consultative Advisory Forum (ICAF).

Danbatta expressed hope that Nigeria would gain much when the initiative eventually firms up.

According to him, 5G will enable a new kind of network for Nigerians designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together.

He stressed that it “will usher in the era of the Internet of Things and faster innovation in Artificial Intelligence applications.”

The NCC chief executive said the nation’s “vibrant youth population stands to benefit immensely from the deployment of 5G, as it will offer technopreneurs, technology enthusiasts, SMEs and tech startups the platform to expand and network with other global players on a scale that has never been witnessed before.”