Despite the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, denying that licences have been issued for the take off of 5th generation network connectivity, popularly known as 5G, in Nigeria, new facts are emerging to the contrary.
Aside from the videos making the rounds of workers laying pipes and cables in a lockdown around Lagos, when the federal government had directed stay-at-home in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun, there are proofs that one of the telecommunication giants in the country, in an attempt to lead, had launched a trial of 5G as far back as 2019.
In a follow up to an announcement made in July, 2018, MTN Nigeria kicked off its plans to launch 5G internet connectivity in Nigeria with a live demo on November 29, 2019 in Abuja.
This came after a similar demo by the telco in South Africa where the company was able to attain a speed of 20 Gigabytes per second with less than 5 minutes latency, while the biggest telco in the country, Vodacom, owned by Britain’s Vodafone, has planned to deploy by using a network built by Liquid Telecom – another African operator, once the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa outlines the required process and timing for licensing and assigning 5G spectrum in April.
In January 2020, Liquid Telecom announced it was building a wholesale 5G network that would be available from early 2020, using its share of the 3.5 GHz spectrum required for 5G. The company also said it would allow other operators, MTN included, to roam on its 5G network and that its wholesale service would be available in major South African cities.
In NIgeria, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved the use of spectrum 26GHz, 38GHz and 42GHz for the trial of 5G services in the country around August 2019.
In his words, the executive vice chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, at the maiden International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Digital African Week in Abuja, claimed the regulator will continue to implement policies and projects that will drive the digital revolution in the country.
“The NCC will continue to drive and implement policies, projects and programmes aimed at facilitating digital revolution and digital inclusion in Nigeria. In this regards, we have approved spectrum for the trial of 5G services in the country,” Prof Danbatta said.
And while speaking on the benefits of the program at the same event, Bako Wakil, Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, said the program is focused on standardising the new technologies to fit and support African nations.
The new NCC framework promises deployment of metro and intercity fibre and broadband points of access with a minimum capacity of 10 Gbps across the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
With the launch of 5G comes faster internet connectivity. The 5G Network has 1000 times the capacity of 4G. With 5G, the number of devices that can be connected is 100 times that of a 4G Network.
A report on 5G in Africa by GSMA, a global trade organization for mobile operators, had estimated recently that only seven African countries, including South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, will have 5G by 2025.
On the contrary, the minister disclosed that Nigeria only carried out a study and a review of the health and security implications of deploying 5G in Nigeria.
Pantami in a statement assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari will not deploy any technology at the expense of the health and welfare of Nigerians.
The statement reads: “The attention of my office has been drawn to the public concern about the health implications of the deployment of Fifth Generation Mobile Networks (5G) in Nigeria. Based on available records at my office and the earlier report received from the regulator, I would like to clarify as follows:
“The National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), of which I am the Chairman, has not deliberated on or released any bulk frequency spectrum for the deployment of 5G.
“No license has been issued for the deployment of 5G in the country.
“A 3-month study trial commenced on the 25th of November, 2019 to critically review and study the health and security implications of deploying 5G in Nigeria.
“As part of the study’s trial process, I directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that a team of experts, security agencies and other stakeholders fully participate in the trial process and my office also invited these agencies to participate in the trial. The trial process has been concluded and the study and reporting process is currently ongoing”.
“His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, places a premium on the welfare, health and security of Nigerians. As such, our desire for technological advancement will never be at the expense of the health and welfare of our citizens.
“Government will not act on the speculations only, but rather we will make an informed decision on 5G after due consultation with experts and the public. I have also directed the NCC to engage citizens on any questions or concerns they may have regarding 5G.
“I wish to thank the general public for reaching out to us on this issue. We advise you all to remain rest assured that the government will always take the welfare, health and security of the public into account while considering the deployment of any technology.”
Pundits wondered what could have been delaying the reports of assessment carried out since 2019.
“We hope government will make haste with the reports to allay the fears of Nigerians over this issues in the face of pandemic,” one reasoned, “MTN also needs to tell Nigerians the truth behind these accusations because there is no smoke without fire.”
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