The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) has praised the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for leading the way in Africa’s 5G rollout.
In a statement signed by Engr. Kings Adeyemi, the Engineering body singled out Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, and the entire management staff of the Commission for praise.
“Spectrum availability, investor-friendly regulatory policy, and stakeholder awareness are all major criteria for the 5G journey. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) consulted with relevant stakeholders ahead of the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) adoption of the Development of a Policy for the Deployment of 5G in Nigeria,” he said.
“We take this opportunity to congratulate NCC’s whole management team, led by Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Engr. Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta FNSE, FRAES, FAEng, FNIEEE. “By setting the wheel of 5G in motion, from 5G Proof of Concept (PoC) trials in 2019 to the recently successful auction of 5G spectrum on the 3.5GHz band, NCC displayed high-level attributes of a world-class regulator,” the statement adds.
To put things in context, the respected group said that “this astounding landmark achievement was achieved by NCC at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to compel the postponement of numerous highly anticipated 5G spectrum auctions throughout the world.”
Commending the Commission’s in-house experts for selecting the frequencies of 3.5–3.6 GHz and 3.7–3.8 GHz. Engr Adeyemi stated that frequencies between 3.3 and 4.2 GHz (3GPP Band 78) are being used as the foundation for the initial 5G deployments around the world.
“With this decision, the danger of 5G services interfering with airplane operations, which is presently practiced in several countries, is alleviated.” “The NCC’s decision to use the 3.5 GHz band has adequately protected civil aircraft altimeters, which typically operate in the 4.2–4.4 GHz range,” he explains.
“From an expert’s standpoint, the choice of two (2) slots of 100 MHz (TDD) bandwidth each on the 3.5 GHz band (precisely 3GPP Band 78) is a highly admirable choice to begin 5G network,” the Chairman continued.
According to him, such large channel capacity is essential to achieve the multi-Gbps data speeds required by a 5G network.
“It has been scientifically demonstrated that broader routes reduce network density, cutting the cost of 5G services for users.” Other benefits include fewer base stations and reduced environmental effect. According to him, the 3.5 GHz band is the ideal choice for balancing capacity and network coverage, which motivates operators to invest in 5G infrastructure.
