The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), yesterday in Abuja during the ITU’s 1st Digital African Week, disclosed that it has approved dedicated spectrum for Fifth Generation (5G) deployment trial in Nigeria.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who disclosed this in an opening remarks at the event, also assured that the Commission was well positioned to jump-start trial of 5G deployment in the country.
He noted that such a regulatory move is also consistent with Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020, which recognises the importance and the imperatives of ICT, as part of the “new world order” and catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development.
“We have approved spectrum for the trial of 5G services in the country,” he said, stressing that the licensing of seven infrastructure companies (Infraco) to deploy metro and inter-city fiber and broadband Point of Access with a minimum capacity of 10Gbps across the 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria, is in line with the 8-point agenda of the Commission for the provision of ubiquitous broadband infrastructures across the country in the Next Level document.
Danbatta, who acknowledged the evolving trends in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ecosystem, giving rise to such technologies as Internet of Things (IoT) applications and smart cities and communities (SC&C), among others, also noted that Nigeria can be left behind in evolving technologies.
The 1st Digital African Week is a four-day conference, which began on Tuesday in conjunction with the Management of ITU-T Study Group 20 (SG20) and Study Group 5 (SG5) Regional Group for Africa Meeting, will allow all stakeholders in the emerging digital space to deliberate on the future technologies in Africa.