The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) gets the Federal Executive Council approval on Fifth Generation (5G) Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.
This was revealed in statement signed by the Technical Assistant (on Information Technology) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Femi Adeluyi. The 5G Policy as was approved today following a presentation by Prof. Pantami’s presentation at the Council meeting today.
According to the statement, “The National Policy has been developed over a period of 2 years, due to the need for extensive stakeholder engagement and the need to ensure adequate public awareness and sensitization. The stakeholder engagement was thorough and multi-sectorial in nature. It also took into account the report of the 3-month 5G trials that commenced on the 25th of November 2019. The report critically reviewed and studied the health and security implications of deploying 5G in Nigeria.”
“Leading international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an organ of the United Nations, have confirmed that the deployment of 5G networks leave no adverse health effect and are safe.”
The statement further stated “5G networks offer significant advantages over the current technologies. Some of its advantages include much lower latency, higher bandwidth, greater device density, longer battery life for nodes and greater network flexibility. Several countries have already commenced the deployment of 5G and are enjoying its benefits. These countries include the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, South Africa and Lesotho, to mention but a few.”
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) that meet all the required conditions will be served through the Nigerian Communications Commission following the release of the spectrum by the The National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), chaired by Minister Pantami.
“The NCC, as the regulator of the telecommunications sector, will continue engaging stakeholders with a view to developing the regulatory instruments required for the successful deployment of the technology in Nigeria.”
