Some stakeholders have urged the creative industry in Nigeria to leverage and explore the benefits of 5G technology, stressing the launch and deployment of 5G network in Nigeria and indeed across the world will have an unprecedented impact on the creative industry.
The stakeholders who spoke at the Nollywood Economic Outlook (NEO 2022) in Ikeja Lagos, stressed that the availability of 5G network will revolutionize how content is produced, distributed, and consumed, unlocking existing technology for wider audiences and enabling a new wave of applications.
Giving a keynote address at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, posited that 5G technology will disrupt the media business models in the creative industry, as it will enable broadcasters to transmit footage back to their base within a short period of time, thus creating more coverage opportunities.
“As demands for high-quality content and streaming increase, 5G connectivity presents the perfect opportunity to push the OTT viewer experience to the next level. With super-fast 5G download speeds up to ten times faster than the current networks and low latency, viewers of video on demand will be able to enjoy highly reliable services,” Prof. Danbatta explained at this event themed, “Leveraging 5G technology for the advancement of creative Industry”.
The NCC Boss added that with 5G, over-the-top platforms and applications will offer video content over the internet as against the traditional cable or satellite television, stressing that technologies enabled by 5G will utilize novel and innovative channels to enhance the experience of viewers.
“5G will also permit the broadcast industry to deliver high-quality content direct to consumers at the touch of a button. 5G will offer users a seamless experience when they stream videos on mobile devices (Smartphones and tablets) and web televisions that use solutions such as Chromecast, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, as well as Smart TVs.
“5G technology will allow the creative industry to better understand future requirements, explore new creative formats, build new mobile video capabilities, pursue strategic partnerships, and assess their data collection practices and database requirements,” Prof. Danbatta, who was represented by Grace Ojougbo, Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) stated further.
Information and Communications Technology has already made the world a global village due to its ubiquitous connection to remote locations across the globe. 5G technology capabilities will make the world even smaller, thus enabling easy distribution of content across the globe in real-time.
Thus, veteran filmmaker and host of the Nollywood Economic Outlook, Mr. Sunny Mcdon W, in his welcome address at the event stressed the need for Nigeria’s creative industry to tap into the latest technologies such as 5G, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning offered to the industry.
He said as much as there is all sort of predictions about the introduction of 5G technology and the sheer number of devices that will become connected through its introduction in Nigeria, the real talking point should be about the impact on the creative industry, businesses, the economy and the nation at large.
“Indeed, the digital economy is already transforming the various sectors of the economy as businesses turn to digital transformation to break the fences of conventional systems and boost the legacy business operations. The creative industry should not be an exception. With the development of digital technology and especially the rise of Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Internet of Things (loT), the creative landscape should embrace the current digital transformation for its continued relevance and survival,” he said.
While urging players across different segments of the creative industry to explore how to work together, Mr. Sunny Mcdon believes that challenges that may come with 5G and other technologies can be dealt with using appropriate policies and the creation of an enabling environment.
The Nollywood Economic Outlook (NEO 2022) now in its 4th edition is organised annually by The Nollywood Mandate, a group of patriotic Nigerians, engaged in the creative industry and are actively committed to digitization of the economy and the rapid development of the various sectors. It seeks to use its influence and reach through the works of the individual members and the collective to contribute to the growth and development of the Nigerian economy through collaboration and cooperation with like-minded associations, organizations and agencies.