By Martin Ekpeke
The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Sunday Dare, has assured that in addition to making available spectrum for broadband penetration in Nigeria, it has already put in place a robust strategy to explore for the benefit of all Nigerians, the huge possibilities of 5G networks.
Dare gave the assurance yesterday in a paper titled ‘Imagery and National Cohesion in the Age Communication Technology’, which was presented at the Annual Lecture of Mass Communication Students Association, University of Lagos.
“The next evolution of mobile broadband is 5G. As the country’s telecom regulator, the NCC has already put in place a robust strategy to explore the benefits of 5G networks to all Nigeria,” he said in the paper presented by NCC’s Head of Online Media and Special Publications, Mr. Omoniyi Ibietan.
He noted that 5G will present to Nigerians the power to be able to use bandwidth to do more with their devices, making them more versatile than ever before. “People using a 5G network will be able to browse the web, download files and even stream video at blistering speeds,” he stressed.
He added that in keeping with the spirit of the National Broadband Plan, which instituted clear processes to make broadband available, accessible and affordable in all nooks and crannies of Nigeria, NCC has earmarked for commercial broadband deployment two slots in the 700MHz band.
Other bands that would serve the purpose of broadband deployment, according to him are the 800MHz band also known as the Digital Dividend 1, which has been re-planned and licensed for LTE deployment to support roaming Internet access by cell phones and handheld devices.
The 60GHz unlicensed band will soon be opened up for broadband deployment; The 900MHz E-GSM band has been licensed for LTE deployment; The 2.3GHz band was licensed for LTE deployment; The 2.6GHz band was licensed for broadband wireless; and the 70/80GHz band (E-Band) is also opened up for LTE deployment.
Dare, however, stated that as the Commission plans for the future, it is also addressing the challenges of the moment. That explains the declaration of 2017 as the Year of the Nigerian Telecom Consumer.
He said the declaration is a statement of commitment by the Commission to back Nigerians all the way as the citizens tap into the limitless possibilities offered by new communication technologies.