What 5G is bringing to the table, by NITDA DG Abdullahi

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has elucidated great benefits of the fifth generation (5G) network and how the technology can be applied in various sectors.

In his address as a speaker at the just concluded Policy Implementation Assisted Forum on 5G Plan in Nigeria organised by Business Metrics Nigeria in Lagos, Abdullahi said it is time for Nigeria to critically examine the use cases of the technology and how it will positively impact the Nigerian Digital Economy.

Represented by Yau Isa Garba, National Director of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), the NITDA DG recognized the following as what 5G is bringing to the table with its super-blazing speed:

Harnessing the Power of IoT

When the term “Internet of Things” was coined in 1999, it was largely conceptual. Two decades later, everything from home thermostats to smart city sensors depend on IoT technology. Now, 5G and IoT stand ready to enable applications that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.

5G’s promise of low latency and high network capacity helps to eliminate the biggest limitations to IoT expansion. Giving devices nearly real-time ability to sense and respond, 5G and IoT are a natural pairing that will impact nearly every industry and consumer.

Broadband-Like Mobile Service

Upgraded mobile service is among the most noticeable of the initial impacts of the 5G network rollout. All major US wireless carriers, as well as many smaller communications service providers, intend to deploy 5G mobile networks that will deliver broadband-like services, such as high[1]definition streaming video without dreaded buffering. With a vastly increased network capacity, 5G is also predicted to reduce slowdowns during usage spikes—for example, sports fans can still stream during the big game.

Connectivity for Edge Computing

With the move to cloud-native 5G networks, enterprises can take advantage of strategically distributed computational power, allowing more data to be processed and stored in the right place based on the needs of the application. Intelligent edge computing operates at the convergence of 5G’s ultra-low latency, IoT, and AI technologies. Devices and applications can tap into edge cloud computing resources  without needing to access a centralized data center potentially thousands of miles away.

As 5G edge computing becomes more pervasive, industries will be able to dramatically scale up their use of data and act on insights faster—often instantly and autonomously.

Unleashing AI

Applying AI to an immense amount of data at scale will be accelerated with fast, efficient connectivity. For example, smart city AI could correlate traffic light data automatically and implement new patterns after an apartment complex nearby is opened. Smart security and machine vision can keep secure facilities safe with automatic recognition of potential security breaches or unauthorized visitors.

While 5G will help enable AI inference at the edge, it will also play a role in delivering data from devices to the central cloud to train or refine AI models. For example, real-world data about road conditions collected by connected vehicles can improve cloud based mapping services.

Immersive Gaming and Virtual Reality

For gamers, 5G promises a more immersive future. High-definition live streaming will get a big boost from 5G speeds, and thanks to ultra-low latency, 5G gaming won’t be tied down to devices with high computing power. Processing, storage, and retrieval can be done in the cloud, while the game itself is displayed and controlled by a mobile device.

Low-latency 5G will drive major innovation in virtual reality (VR) applications, which depend on fast feedback and response times to provide a realistic experience. These applications are likely to explode in number and sophistication as 5G networks and devices become the new normal.

As 5G edge computing becomes more common, industries will be able to dramatically scale up their use of data and act on insights faster—often instantly and automatically.

Yau Isa Garba presenting DG NITDA’s paper

Industry Applications – Use Cases

Further in his presentation, the NITDA boss said that whether their goal is to increase revenue opportunities, reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), or improve customer experiences, today’s enterprises are expected to see major benefits from the 5G upgrade.

This, according to him is going to open new doors of possibilities across various sectors that will apply the technology. Identifying various sectors where the fifth generation network has found application, Engineer Abdullahi highlighted the following:

1. Healthcare  

5G healthcare use cases will enable doctors and patients to stay more connected than ever. Wearable devices could alert healthcare providers when a patient is experiencing symptoms—like an internal defibrillator that automatically alerts a team of ER cardiologists to be ready for an incoming patient, with a complete record of data collected by the device.

2.       Education

Pandemic-era restrictions that led to remote learning spotlighted the vulnerabilities of current connectivity infrastructure. Students were forced to rely on uneven and unreliable networks. However, 5G networks have the potential to provide much more seamless experience for remote learning. More importantly, educational institutions can develop and deliver new and different kinds of learning content, such as live event streaming, via

3.       5G Retail

For 5G retail applications, the customer experience will be everything. Stores of tomorrow may no longer look like today’s aisles of stocked shelves. Imagine a store that’s more like a showroom—one that lets you add items to a virtual cart rather than shopping with a physical one.

Stores may also use 5G to manage inventory and stocking in real time. Consumers could even see changes like cashierless stores that simply track what you put in your cart in lieu of the traditional checkout line, or even a huge reduction in the traditional brick-and-mortar stores by taking stores into virtual spaces. This is already happening where young Nigerians are retailing via Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and so on

4.      Agriculture

Farms of the future will use more data and fewer chemicals. Taking data from sensors located directly in fields, farmers can identify with pinpoint precision which areas need water, have a disease, or require pest management. Smart farming is already underway, with advanced computing capabilities and IoT empowering data gathering, analytics and decision-making to lower costs, cut resource consumption nd create higher yields. But 5G can extend the geographic reach of smart agriculture and lower costs by bringing high capacity connectivity to rural farming areas, according to industry reports.

5.     Manufacturing – Industry 4.0

Factory floors will be totally transformed by the convergence of 5G, AI, and IoT. Beyond predictive maintenance that helps control costs and minimize downtime, factories will also use 5G to control and analyze industrial processes with an unprecedented degree of precision. With the connectivity boost provided by 5G, manufacturers can also change traditional quality assurance processes, streamlining them with sensor technology and AI.

6.      Logistics

In shipping and logistics, keeping track of inventory is expensive, slow, and difficult. Huge number of sensors are required, with significant amount of data moving across the network. However, the number of sensors required to move and process all that data stresses 4G and LTE networks. That limits the industry’s ability to capitalize on advanced technologies. 5G removes that cellular capacity limitation, giving the industry more opportunity to expand its use of smart devices.

Fleet monitoring and navigation will become significantly easier at scale with 5G. Driver navigation could potentially be powered with an augmented reality system that identifies and flags potential hazards without diverting a driver’s attention away from the road.

7.     Modernized Mining, Oil and Gas operations

5G can help modernize operations in the mining, oil and gas industries, which are often in remote and rugged locations. To date, many facilities can’t install wired networks due to cost and logistics, and they can’t rely on 4G/LTE networks to handle the high volume of mission-critical data.

Now, more companies are turning to 5G because it can support the expansive industrial IoT (IIoT) buildout needed to monitor working conditions and guide automated machinery. And 5G, in tandem with edge computing, may help the oil and gas industry take advantage of the vast amount of data machines generate.

General economic benefits

At the beginning of his presentation, the NITDA DG did not fail to acknowledge economic accretion of the 5G economy to the global gross domestic product (GDP).

He noted that the global 5G services market is expected to become a $664.75 billion market, according to a recent 5G market report from Grand View Research.

“That means a compound annual growth rate of 46.2% from 2021 to 2028. The research firm also predicted 5G adoption and use to grow in numerous industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, retail, utilities and so on,” he cited.

Engineer Kashifu said that in fact, another market report by Information Handling Service (IHS) highlights that 5G will enable $12.3 trillion of global economic output in 2035, while the global 5G value chain will generate $3.5 trillion in output, and support 22 million jobs in 2053.