NigComSat, NCC take a bold step to release contagious quantum of Spectrum in the 3.5GHz band for early deployment of 5G — Chairman NCC
By Eyo Nsima
The Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Adeolu Akande, has commended the management of NCC and the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) for taking a bold step to release contagious quantum of Spectrum in the 3.5GHz band for early deployment of 5G in the nation.
Speaking at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, between the two organizations, May 5, 2021, he said: “Today, we are glad that the Management of NigComSat and NCC has taken a bold step in the right direction to release contagious quantum of Spectrum in the 3.5GHz band for early deployment of 5G. This type of collaboration seeks to ensure synergy amongst agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy.
“That being said: permit me to commend the efforts of the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC)/CEO of NCC Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta and his counterpart the Managing Director(MD) of NigComSat Ms. Abimbola Alale for making an informed decision in the national interest which will consequently foster the deployment of 5G and enable Nigeria to tap its full potential.”
He also said: “In recent times, precisely from the last quarter of 2019, several administrations have begun to license Spectrum for commercial deployment of 5G. As we speak today, 5G services have already been deployed in the United States of America, South Korea, the United Kingdom, China, South Africa, Kenya, and many more.
“Telecommunication evolution from inception to date has led to improvement in user experience witnessed from 2G, 3G and later 4G. The global impact of 4G brought about increases in mobile usage and network performance. 5G will build on this momentum, bringing substantial network improvements, including higher connection speeds, mobility, and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities. In doing so, it enables new use cases and applications that will positively impact different sectors and improve efforts towards achieving Digital Economies. It does not only offer enhanced broadband and ultra-low, ultra-reliable latency communications but also provides massive machine-type communications, where a lot of devices will seamlessly connect and independently interact with the internet without human intervention. Thus, enabling several Smart City initiatives.
“Spectrum plays a critical role in realizing the full extent of
these new capabilities. Thus, 5G’s full socio-economic impact is dependent on access to a variety of spectrum resources. These spectra will play a key role in meeting the demand for many enhanced mobile data services as well as new wireless broadband use cases such as remote object manipulation, industrial automation, virtual and augmented reality, and next-generation connectivity for vehicles. These use cases will continue to increase the impact that mobile services have on societies and economies.”
He also added: “In China, UAE, Europe, Africa, India, Brazil, and Australia, the 3.5GHz band glaringly featured amongst the spectrum that has been prioritized for 5G with prospects for early deployment.”
