The Minister for Communications and Digital Economy in Nigeria, Dr Isa Pantami, has charged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to commence immediate implementation of the 5G Network in the country.
Pantami had on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 announced the approval of the 5G network Policy after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
The National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), chaired by the Minister, would soon release the 5G Spectrum to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for auction to Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) that will need the spectrum for 5G deployment.
Meanwhile, the NCC has stated that it will publish an implementation roadmap for the deployment of 5G across the country with service roll-out obligations.
The regulatory Body also said that it has been directed to commence the development of relevant regulatory instruments to address issues related to health, safety and others to drive effective implementation of the roll-out of 5G by MNOs.
It added that the roll-out of the 5G will be carried out in phases beginning with major cities in the country “where there is need for high quality broadband.”
The 5G is expected to facilitate several emerging technologies, generate innovative use cases, spur significant socio-economic growth and create jobs.
The approval of the 5G Plan by President Muhammadu Buhari, is a major boost to Nigeria’s promising 5G Plan, which has the objectives of ensuring efficient assignment of spectrum for 5G deployment, creating an enabling environment for investment in the telecom industry and ensuring effective deployment of 5G to cover major urban cities by 2025.
The approval is in line with the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 for a Digital Nigeria, and the positioning of Nigeria as an early adopter of digital technology in the growing global digital economy, the successful and timely deployment of 5G is crucial.
