No 5G deployment yet, NCC insists

The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) said there is no deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) network in Nigeria at the moment.

The commission however said it is developing policies on the deployment of the 5G.

Executive Vice-Chairman of the commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta disclosed this at the 16th annual International Conference and Exhibition on Power and Telecommunications (ICEPT 2020) titled, “Emerging Technologies” organised by the Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE).

Represented by Engr. Bako Wakil, Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity at the conference held virtually, the NCC boss said the 5G network services would cross the borders of telecoms sector into virtually all other sectors of the economy.

He said the wide adoption of emerging technologies has also triggered new regulatory frontiers that also come with opportunities and challenges.

Danbatta however stated that the NCC “is proactively promoting policies that encourage both innovation and effective competition among sector players within the ecosystem, and also support consumer protection.

“A typical example is the fifth generation of mobile network (5G). There is no 5G network deployment in Nigeria at the moment, however, we are developing a policy framework that will guide the deployment of 5G in Nigeria to support the digital strategy and broadband policy of the government,” he added.