Telcos, Others Must Turn Obstacles In 5G Deployment Into Opportunities– Danbatta

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has said that telecom companies need to collaborate for the effective deployment of the 5G network in the country.

The EVC said this at the 90th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) hosted by the Consumer Affairs Bureau of the Commission.

According to him, the policy framework for the deployment has come into place and will facilitate deployment of services by the recent winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum auction, MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd and MAFAB Communications Ltd.

The event was attended by representatives of Mobile Networks Operators (MNOs), the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF), Association of Telecoms Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS), and other key stakeholders in the telecom industry.

In December 2020, the two bidders defeated Airtel in an auction that was valued $563.1m which is an equivalent of N234.5bn.

The amount was fully paid by MTN and Mafab in February 2022.

But the EVC told stakeholders in Lagos to stand with the Commission to explore the prospects and potentials of the new technology.

He revealed that the NCC has set out the regulatory instruments needed for fast deployment of the 5G technology for the benefit of the consumers and the stakeholders.

He called on stakeholders to ensure that 5G technology is deployed in Nigeria in a manner beneficial to all telecom consumers and to support the emergent Digital Economy Policy of the federal government.

“We will continue to collaborate with stakeholders across sectors to ensure faster deployment of 5G services, and accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s broadband infrastructure,” he said.

Danbatta highlighted the potential use for 5G networks as broadly categorised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to include Enhanced Mobile broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine-type Communications (mMTC), as well as Ultra-reliable and Low-latency Communications (uLLC)

He identified some challenges in the 5G deployment to include, “limited frequencies with the required spectral efficiency, skilled professionals with requisite knowledge of the technology, fewer number of 5G-enabled devices, and cost of deployment.