NCC to explore 6GHz band for improved Internet services

To bridge Nigeria’s broadband gap and improve Internet services, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has stated that the country will harness the 6GHz spectrum potential.

NCC said this is in line with the 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23) which allocated the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi and International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) applications.

Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Commission, Dr Aminu Maida, said the 5GHz and 2.4GHz that are being used for Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5) now are becoming overwhelmed due to an increase in demand for capacity.

Maida, who stated this yesterday in Lagos at the yearly stakeholders’ forum on emerging technologies, noted that it has become imperative to identify other frequency bands to complement the 5GHz and 2.4GHz.

Represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services at NCC, Abraham Oshadami, the EVC said when President Bola Tinubu brought the current management of the Commission on board last year, the management decided to reposition the Commission on a path that will ensure the uptake of opportunities through strategic focus areas which is driven by the recognition stakeholders whether it is licensees and industry operators, consumers or government maintains unique perspective and have certain expectations of the Commission.

He said: “Guided by our actions in the right direction and, of course, that of the Federal Government through the Minister’s Strategic Blueprint cantered around knowledge policies, infrastructure, innovation, entrepreneurship and capital as well trade, we have been able to set the ball rolling to enhance telecommunication service delivery in Nigeria.

“The 6GHz band, spanning from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz, offers a substantial increase in available spectrum, which is crucial for supporting the growing demand for high-speed internet and advanced applications. Wi-Fi plays a crucial role in the distribution of fixed broadband connectivity in homes, offices, and various other environments.

“The vast majority of home internet traffic is connected to the end-user through Wi-Fi. In enterprise settings, Wi-Fi is essential for handling large amounts of data and simultaneously connecting large numbers of devices with improved reliability, higher data throughput, and lower latencies.

“However, the 5GHz and 2.4GHz that are being used for Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5) at the moment are becoming overwhelmed due to an increase in demand for capacity. It is, therefore, imperative to identify other frequency bands to complement the 5GHz and 2.4GHz.

“The recently concluded 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23) allocated the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi and IMT applications with different recommendations on how to use the band. This was the outcome of a long study cycle process leading to the decision at the WRC-2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,” Dr Maida said.

Also speaking, Head, Spectrum Administration at NCC, Atiku Lawal, said the overcrowded airwaves are currently limiting the potential of Wi-Fi in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz, adding that it is not a surprise that more than 70 countries have already acted, or are considering acting, to open the 6GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use.

“Depending upon the country’s implementation plan, this decision will provide two to three times the quantum of Spectrum available today, resulting in the ability to implement 80MHz and 160 MHz channels being available for the new Wi-Fi 6 standard ideal to support digital transformation efforts and use cases like high-definition video and X Reality (XR). Further to this, additionally, capacity in the unlicensed use of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi will improve Quality of Service (QoS) through Wi-Fi 6 offload as the use of Wi-Fi at home, offices, institutions, airports, etc will help relieve networks of capacity constraints by taking devices of the cellular networks,” he said.