The Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) current efforts to facilitate the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology will further catalyze the entertainment industry’s innovativeness and creativity, raising its productivity and contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to new heights. Prof. Umar Danbatta, NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated.
Danbatta mentioned this in a keynote lecture given recently in Lagos at the Nollywood Economic Outlook (NEO 2022), which was well-attended by Nollywood personalities and other important stakeholders in the creative business.
The Commission was also awarded the “Best Agency in Government Sustainable and Development Agenda” by the organizers of the NEO 2022 summit for its contribution in supporting digital connectivity in order to accelerate Nigeria’s economic growth and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Speaking on the topic of “Leveraging 5G Technology for the Advancement of the Creative Industry,” Danbatta, who was represented by the NCC’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Grace Ojougboh, said 5G technology will disrupt media business models in the creative industry, as well as the need for practitioners in the industry to leverage the power of 5G technology to expand the industry’s frontiers for the next phase of its growth.
“5G will transform how information is created, disseminated, and consumed, making existing technologies more accessible to a broader audience and enabling a new generation of applications.” It will also allow broadcasters to send film back to their headquarters in a short amount of time, allowing for more coverage chances, according to Danbatta.
He added that 5G technology networks will alter enterprises, resulting in increased productivity through real-time data flow. “As a result, developments in Internet-based web technology and search engines will enable the optimization of corporate processes and the creation of new value chains for clients.” “Over-the-top (OTT) services are projected to flourish and become more widespread as a result,” he said.
In addition, Danbatta stated that, in conjunction with the 5G network, over-the-top (OTT) platforms and applications will be able to provide video content via the internet, as opposed to traditional cable or satellite television. This, he explained, is due to the fact that 5G-enabled technology will leverage new and innovative channels to improve viewers’ experiences.
“As a result, 5G will enable the broadcast sector to transmit high-quality material directly to customers at the press of a button, which will be beneficial to the creative industry.” As a result, when customers stream films on mobile devices (phones and tablets) and web televisions using solutions like Chromecast, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV, as well as Smart TVs, they will have a consistent experience,” according to the EVC.
As the demand for high-quality video and streaming grows, Danbatta reminded the audience that 5G connectivity gives the ideal opportunity to take the OTT viewer experience to the next level. He claims that super-fast 5G download speeds of up to ten times quicker than present networks, as well as decreased latency, will improve users’ video-on-demand experiences and enable them to enjoy extremely reliable services.
The creative industry will be able to better comprehend future requirements, experiment with new creative formats, develop new mobile video capabilities, form strategic collaborations, and evaluate their data gathering procedures and database requirements thanks to 5G technology.
“Because of its widespread connectedness to remote regions around the world, Information and Communications Technology has already turned the world into a global village.” “The potential of 5G technology will shrink the planet even further, allowing for easy delivery of content around the globe in real time,” he said.
Danbatta continued by adding that 5G technology is set to revolutionize the way people live and work, ushering in the much-discussed Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which promises the country tremendous social and economic development.
Danbatta took advantage of the opportunity to inform the audience about the government’s policy and regulatory efforts, which have culminated in the licensing of spectrum resources for the deployment of 5G networks in the country, through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy as well as the NCC.
He claims that disruptive innovations such as Mobile Broadband, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing, Autonomous and Near-Autonomous Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Block-Chain Technology, Robotics, and Quantum Computing, among others, are centered on telecommunications, particularly 5G technology.
Sunny McDon, the program’s host and Executive Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), said there had been many forecasts concerning the entrance of 5G technology and the sheer number of gadgets that would become connected as a result of its introduction in Nigeria. As a result, he said that the influence on the creative industry, enterprises, and Nigeria’s socioeconomic development should be prioritized.
Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, lectured on “Imperatives for Building Lasting Structures for the Sustenance of the Creative Industry,” which was represented at the event by Mr. Idowu Johnson.
SIGNED
Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde
4 March 2022
