NCC approves spectrum for 5G trial

.Says Nigeria has exceeded 30% penetration target set by National Broadband Plan

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has approved the spectrum for the trial of 5G services in the country.

Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, disclosed this at the opening of the maiden International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Digital African Week on Tuesday in Abuja.

Danbatta said that Nigeria had exceeded the 30 per cent penetration target set by the National Broadband Plan of 2013 to 2018 and stood at 33.31 per cent at the end of June 2019.

He said that the commission had developed framework to facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure across the country through the licensing of infrastructure companies.

Danbatta said the framework would also deploy metro and inter-city fibre and broadband point of access with a minimum capacity of IOG bps across the 774 local government areas in the country.

He said that the NCC has taken steps to involve members of the academia as strategic stakeholders in the activities towards the developing the telecom sector.

Danbatta stated that the research and development department of NCC was collaborating with Universities and other institutions of higher learning to develop the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.

He assured that the NCC would continue to drive and implement policies, projects and programmes aimed at facilitating digital revolution and digital inclusion in Nigeria.

”We have put in place, broadband implementation and monitoring committee to monitor implementation of the infrastructure company projects within the four –year- implementation plan.

“With the development of smart cities KPIs by the ITU, it is imperative to have pervasive and ubiquitous broadband infrastructure across all our towns and cities to achieve the objectives of making them smart.

“We will continue to work hard to ensure that all citizens of Nigeria have access to affordable broadband connection in respective of their circumstances or location,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, NCC, Bako Wakil, said that the program was to bring the African perspective to the standardisation of the new technologies to fit and support African nations.

Wakil said that the African nations could also contribute in the standardisation process of the ITU and also come up with those proposal and ideas that best suit the African nation.

A representative of Uganda, Mrs. Helen Nakiguli, explained that the group is responsible for evaluating ICT effects on the climate change and study design methodology for ICT environmental effects generally.

Nakiguli noted that the interest was to engage the African region to be part of the standards development that will help the African region and the study group.

“This particular event is really critical for Africa to be part of the contribution to development of standards that will help the region generally.

“Standardisation of emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IOT), smart cities and communities, e-waste and circular economy and electromagnetic radiation are very important to the African continent,” she said.