The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, on Thursday said collaboration among telecommunications sector’s stakeholders was essential to successful deployment of 5G services in Nigeria.
The industry regulator, who made this remark at the 90th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) hosted by the Consumer Affairs Bureau of the Commission held in Lagos, urged industry stakeholders to support the NCC in its current drive to explore the prospects and potentials of the new technology, which is enormous.
Danbatta said the policy framework for the deployment has come into place and will facilitate deployment of services by the recent winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction, MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd and MAFAB Communications Ltd.
He said the Commission had developed the regulatory instruments needed for fast deployment of the new versatile technology for the benefit of the consumers and the stakeholders.
He highlighted the potential use cases for 5G networks as broadly categorised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to include Enhanced Mobile broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine-type Communications (mMTC), as well as Ultra-reliable and Low-latency Communications (uLLC)
The EVC maintained that the commission “will continue to collaborate with stakeholders across sectors to ensure faster deployment of 5G services, and accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s broadband infrastructure”
Danbatta listed some challenges of deploying the new technology as including, limited frequencies with the required spectral efficiency, skilled professionals with requisite knowledge of the technology, fewer number of 5G-enabled devices, and cost of deployment but stated that the industry must work to turn the challenges into opportunities rather than seeing them as obstacles.
According to him, the issues that could militate against or slowdown the deployment of 5G technology are themselves opportunities that can potentially create new revenue streams or new subsectors in the industry.
During the panel discussion on the presentation titled ‘5G Networks: Opportunities and Challenges’, the NCC’s Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Bako Wakil, and Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Adeleke Adewolu, who chaired the panel session, urged all participants to exploit the opportunities offered by the 90th TCP to contribute to the deployment of 5G network in the country.
Adewolu said: “We must conclude this Telecom Consumer Parliament with solutions to challenges that are associated with 5G deployment in countries that had deployed the services ahead of Nigeria. We must also have a clear roadmap on how the opportunities offered by the technology can be maximized for the benefit of Nigerians.”
The event was attended by representatives of Mobile Networks Operators (MNOs), the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF), Association of Telecoms Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS), and other key stakeholders in the telecom industry.
