NCC seizes AfricaNXT Conference to break down 5G for Nigerians

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has further prepared Nigerians for the actual rollout of the fifth generation network (5G) in Nigeria and the socio-economic significance of services it would render in the country.

Participating at the ongoing AfricaNXT Conference, the largest assemblage of innovators from across Africa and Africa’s Diasporan communities, the Commission hosted a panel discussion with the theme: Moving Forward Steadily: Socio-Economic Significance of Development of 5G Services, during which it simplified the 5G technology for participants.

The panel of NCC team of 5G was moderated by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Head of Online Media. Other panelits are Engr. Anthony Ikemefina, Head, Fixed Networks and Conversed Services; Engr. Babagaba Digima, Team Lead, Nigeria Office for Developing the Indigenous Telecoms Telecoms Sector; Engr. Usman Aliyu, Head, Space Services; and Dr. Muhammed Suleh-Yusuf, Senior Manager, Legal and Regulatory Services, all of NCC.

During the discussion, the panel stressed that in terms of use cases, 5G technology is a total shift from the internet connectivity people are used to as it would open doors of new possibilities and socio-economic impacts.

Describing the 5G in relation to 4G, Engineer Suleh-Yusuf said 5G is an enhanced broadband that allows for low latency and facilitate billions of connections in machine to machine communication.

He added that the latency of 5G, which measures its response time is 1 millisecond, while that of 4G is measured at 10 milliseconds. He further stated that while 4G can accommodate 100 device connections in one square kilometer, 5G can serve a million devices and thus, power Internet of Things (IoT).

In further comparison, he said 5G peak data rate is 20GB per second for download, and 10GB for upload, higher than 100MB per second download and 50MB upload offered by 4G network.

Another panelist, Tony Ikemefuna, said the fact that 4G which has a response time of 10 milliseconds, equivalent to that of human brain, confirms why 5G is faster in response even more than the human brain and thus will unlock great opportunities for the development of the country.

Asked if the country is ready for 5G, Suleh-Yusuf said, “Nigeria is ready for 5G because the NCC is ready. The Commission has built the foundation, the deployment plan has been designed and various exercises have been carried out up to the level of handling over 5G Spectrum to the operators.”

The Commission also assured that when 5G is eventually deployed, everyone is going to benefit.

“With 5G, there is something for everyone. Nigeria is kick starting these massive benefits with enhanced broadband. The fastest and most stable broadband is fibre. Unfortunately, fibre cannot reach everywhere. However 5G will bridge the gap and with wireless connectivity, Nigerians will enjoy the enhanced broadband,” said Babagaba Digima.

The NCC panel noted that the 5G technology will power a plethora of applications, innovation and creativity.

Such applications, according to the panelists, will come in handy to build smart cities where telemedicine, Internet of Things (IoT), smart agriculture, driverless cars, and smart security, among others have their various networks riding on 5G technology.

According to Engr Aliyu, nothing stops Nigeria from creating smart cities which according to him, is an ecosystem powered by 5G and smart applications.

“With the massive speed of 5G, it is left for start-ups and entrepreneurs to leverage on the enabling environment powered by the fast connectivity think of unlimited solutions to our socio-economic life,” he said.

Speaking further, Digima pointed out that operators will reap benefits of 5G in many ways such as network slicing into vertical and horizontal that will create new streams of revenue for them.

He Noted that 5G will power more than two billion devices in the next two years, adding that to achieve this will propel manufacturing of devices, utilisation of raw materials and maintenance service that will deliver huge economic gains.

While moderating the discussion,  Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan provoked debate on the need for collaboration among state actors to secure the 5G ecosystem, noting that, just like every other tech, some people may want to exploit the massive data flow allowed by 5G.

Panelists maintained that the Nigerian Communications Commission is doing all within it purview to ensure data security and protection, while also intensifying collaborations to put policies and regulations in place and monitor compliance.

Engineer Usman Aliyu revealed that as part of its regulatory mandates, the NCC is working closely with the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA) to develop a Risk Management Framework. The framework, according to him, will allow ethical hacking as part of risk mitigation.

He said the Commission already has Computer Security Incident Response Team (C-SIRT) that works with the telecoms operators to reduce risks of cyber attacks and data breach, while he suggested that each sector should have its own C-CERT and work in collaboration with the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) at the Central level.

The panel also allayed the fear of health concerns emanating from 5G deployment in Nigeria, based on scientific evidence from the World Health Organization (WHO), International Telecommunication Union  (ITU) and other authorities.