As Nigeria prepares to welcome commercial rollout of the fifth Internet generation (5G) network, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has continued to acquaint Nigerians with the socio-economic benefits of the technology.
Recall that the Commission had already taken progressive steps by commencing the development of a framework within which the new technology will work in Nigeri.
The commission deems this necessary in view of misinformation and conspiracy theories earlier raised on 5G and its connection with Coronavirus pandemic, which were however dismissed by authorities.
In another sensitizing material, the commission last week explained that 5G is the 5th generation mobile network, a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.
It said 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.
5G wireless technology, according to the commission is meant to deliver higher data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.
The technology has the potential to provide 20 times faster data speeds and carries a massive amount of data for a large number of simultaneous users, it explained.
“So users in high-density areas like airports, stadiums or urban areas can still experience the fast speeds and low latency of 5G service.
“As the world replaces more and more household items with ‘smart devices’ that connect to the internet, also known as the Internet of Things, this network capacity will be critical. 5G will potentially be able to handle more than 2.5 million connected devices per square mile. 5G is a transformational change from 4G.”
It further stated that, the technology, when eventually rolled out in Nigeria, will enhance technological development because of the extremely fast transfer rate of large quantities of data.
“Overall, it enables interconnected devices for instant communication. This is a new connected world of ‘Smart cities’ made possible by 5G networks,” the commission explained.
As the commission dismissed myths around 5G, it reiterates that the network is extremely fast as it supports data transfer rates of up to 20Gbit/s, if supported by robust fibre infrastructure.
“On top of that, wireless data delays drop to one millisecond. This opens up the potential for multiple driverless cars, where large quantities of potentially lifesaving data have to be transferred almost instantaneously.
“5G network is designed to carry data up to 10 times faster than 4G networks. This means HD movies can be downloaded in seconds,” says the NCC.
