The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has charged the Federal Government to ensure that the country is part of the global 5G technology evolution if indeed it is keen on developing Nigeria’s digital economy.
The Association also stated that it was important all stakeholders partner to ensure that the country is well-positioned to reap the benefits of the 5G technology and also work to allay the fears of consumers about the safety of the 5G network.
These appeals were contained in the address presented by ALTON through its Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, at the Second Quarter Open Forum of the Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF) for the Year 2021 held in Abuja on Thursday.
Dwelling on the theme: “Deployment of New Technology for Improved Consumer Experience, 5G Misconception and Conspiracy Theory,” Adebayo said that mobile technologies have transformed the way of life of people, providing more effective and efficient channels for the conduct of socio-economic endeavours across a broad range of sectors including but not limited to finance, agriculture, medicine, and education.
“Mobile technologies contributed significantly to this journey by facilitating communication through devices. From 1G through to 4G, every successive generation has introduced advances in network capabilities and capacity, and the next generation of mobile networks will be no exception,” he said.
While describing 5G as the next generation of wireless network technology, Adebayo stated that the technology is expected to provide faster connections with much higher capacity and very fast response times, allowing many more users and devices to access faster internet connections and large amounts of data at the same time.
“It is the fifth generation of wireless telecom technology (a progression on 2G, 3G & 4G) predicated on the twin pillars of increased speed and reliability. 5G will offer a significantly improved user experience by reason of its enhanced latency capabilities evidenced by much faster data exchange and response times.
“In comparison to 4G, 5G is expected to be up to 10 times faster and provide near 100% availability, coverage, and reduction in energy usage. In Q3 2020, the worldwide median download speed over 5G was 954% faster than over 4G while the median upload speed over 5G was 311% faster than 4G,” Adebayo said.
The ALTON boss, who noted that 5G is also expected to provide efficient support for larger numbers of connections, as well as enabling the Internet of Things (IoT), quoted OfCom as saying that 5G offers greater capacity, allowing thousands of devices in a small area to be connected at the same time.
While explaining that 5G networks and the Internet of Things (IoT) generate great opportunities, Adebayo noted that the deployment of 5G will also require significant investment from mobile operators and other stakeholders and therefore, called for more investment in the sector.
On the expectations from Stakeholders in the proposed 5G deployment in the country, Adebayo said the Federal Government, Mobile Network Operators and the NCC have a responsibility to drive awareness on the benefits of the deployment of 5G.
“This awareness involves sensitisation of citizens through different fora such as ICAF. Collaboration between the health ministry and security agencies to facilitate this local sensitisation will be efficient in dispelling common myths associated with 5G deployment and therefore, is highly recommended.
“Awareness also involves the FG actively participating in regional and global engagements on the deployment of 5G to ensure that we stay abreast of developments and best practices, e.g. the 2020 updated guidelines of the ICNIRP.
“Enabling policy and regulatory frameworks dealing with lingering issues such as Right of Way (RoW), arbitrary taxation and protection of critical network infrastructure are also strongly recommended. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) should focus on requisite investment participation and partnership with all stakeholders to address concerns,” he recommended.
Adebayo advised that the public and indeed telecom consumers should be encouraged to take advantage of the various engagement fora (such as ICAF) targeted at sensitisation on 5G deployment as this would ensure their questions are answered and their views are taken into consideration in consultation and implementation.
