NCC

Bold Leap into 5G Mobile Network

Anthony Okechukwu

Since the introduction of the GSM in Nigeria 20 years ago, the country has recorded phenomenal strides in various metrics of digital emplacement. Though it has never been easy, the introduction of the 5G network has been the most contentious particularly because of conspiracy theories that have been woven around it. However, through dogged determination, consummate stake-holder engagement and government support, the Professor Danbatta-led leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC has successfully handled the spectrum auction sale of the 5G network.

The True Vision Editor-at-Large Anthony Okechukwu participated in one of the media stakeholder engagements. In this report, first in a weekly focus on Digital Nigeria, he provides an insight into the road to eureka and states that with this, the country is poised for a new era of economic transformation.

Nigeria made History on 13th December 2021 when two network providers, Mafab Communications Ltd and MTN Nigeria Plc, emerged the two successful winners of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology, to support the delivery of ubiquitous broadband services in Nigeria.

The two winners emerged in a keenly contested 3.5GHz Spectrum auction conducted at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

Three companies, namely MTN, Airtel and Mafab Communications Limited, had qualified for the auction, having met the requirements stipulated in the Information Memorandum (IM) for the spectrum auction. The three companies had also participated in a mock auction held on Friday, December 10, 2021, which served as a precursor to the Main Auction conducted on Monday, December 13, 2021.

Quest To Tackle Infrastructure Deficit

According to NCC, there is already a holistic, strategic plan being conscientiously implemented to address the infrastructure deficit in the telecommunications sector, with the objective to bridge the digital divide which had undermined Nigeria’s march to a robust digital economy.

Professor Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NCC, who gave the assurance recently, emphasised that telecoms infrastructure deployment across rural communities in Nigeria is at the heart of every effort of the Government towards ensuring the socio-economic development of Nigeria.

Danbatta made these declarations at the International Conference Centre Abuja, while delivering a keynote presentation at the 2021 national conference, exhibition, and annual general meeting of the Nigerian Society of Engineers held recently.

At the conference, with the theme “Expansion of the Energy Mix For National Economic Growth”, Danbatta spoke focusing on a sub-theme, “Strategic Collaboration between the Town and Gown for Effective Rural Development”, at the event

The NCC CEO said that the vision of the Federal Government as enunciated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030) and the National Broadband Plan (2020-2025) is being vigorously implemented.

Explaining the connection between these policies and NCC’s operations, Danbatta stated that the NCC’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP) 2020-2024, streamlined in the Commission’s Strategic Vision Plan (2021-2025) to enhance operational and regulatory efficiency, is aligned with the Federal Government’s vision for an all-inclusive digital economy.

Accordingly, to improve Nigeria’s broadband infrastructure, Danbatta reiterated that NCC has divided Nigeria into seven Zones, consisting of the existing six constitutional geopolitical divisions, and Lagos constituting the seventh. Lagos, he said, was singled out because of its importance as a strategic commercial and technological hub within the structure of the Nigeria’s telecom ecosystem.

Allaying Fears of Negative Health Impact

At the Senate Public Hearing of February 25th, 2021, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy (FMoCDE), Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, allayed the fears of Nigeria on the deployment of 5G network in the country, clarifying that there is no known scientific evidence till date suggesting that 5G poses any risks to public health and safety.

Corroborating the Hon Minister, Danbatta stated that, with all available information, nothing has been able to show that masts are dangerous to the public health.

Speaking at a Media Capacity-Building Workshop tagged: “5G Technology and The Next Level of Nigeria’s Development”, Prof Danbatta who was represented by the Head, Fixed Network and Converged Services Unit of NCC, Mr Anthony Ikemefuna
stated that, if masts are dangerous to health, most Nigerians would have been adversely affected health-wise right from the days of 1G, 2G 3G networks, stressing that the radiation from the “090” network used in the late 80s, were even much more than what we have today.

The workshop organised by NCC in partnership with The Cable Newspaper created an opportunity for experts to deliberate on the deployment of 5G technology in Nigeria and its impact on the nation’s socio-economic development. Health and safety issues around the deployment of the technology were also dissected.

In his topic titled: ” Setting The Stage for 5G Journey; Requirements, Deployment and Challenges”, Danbatta therefore, averred that, it is not true that 5G is the cause of the coronavirus pandemic as rumoured in some quarters.

Explaining the impact of 5G network on health, the EVC said “there are no specifically proven evidence of any negative impact on human health associated with radiation from mobile networks, including 5G”.

“The following organisations: World Health Organisation (WHO), UK Advisory Group and Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR), The Institute for Engineering and Technology (IET), International Commission for Non-ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIP) were very clear to the effect that radiation from mobile networks and devices including 5G has no known or scientifically proven negative health impact”.

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Assuring that electromagnetic radiation emission from 5G networks are far safer than preceding generations of mobile networks, Danbatta added that “Given the densification of cell sites that will arise as a result of 5G deployment, the Commission will need to effectively collaborate with other relevant government agencies such as the National Assembly (NASS) National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA)  and National Orientation Agency (NOA) towards sensitising and educating the general public on the low health impact of 5G base stations”.

Challenges:

Also presenting his paper focused on “20 Years of GSM Revolution In Nigeria”, Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, maintained that telecom is an essential infrastructural component that promotes the development of other sectors including agriculture, education, industry, health, banking, defence, transportation and tourism.

Dr Adinde who was represented at the Media Capacity-Building Workshop by Head, Online Media and Special Publication, NCC, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan listed the Commission’s challenges to include vandalism, multiple taxation, Right of Way issues, indiscriminate shut down of facilities, Insecurity, power etc.

Adinde however, said that “it is not yet uhuru for us in the industry. There are a number of challenges confronting the telecom sector”.

“Nigeria needs to maintain its leadership position in the digital drive and this is one of the reasons why the Commission is engaging with you, as one of the strategic partners in the industry, as we express our commitment to advancing the digital transformation for the overall benefit of our beloved country”. Adinde added.

Benefits:

There is no doubt that benefits derivable from 5G are enormous. According to Danbatta, 5G was designed to meet the very large growth in data and connectivity of today’s society, the (Internet of Things (IoT) with billions connected devices and future innovations.

The EVC emphasised that 5G is fast in terms of response time and that it is capable of opening up many use cases that will revive many industries.

He informed that with 5G, billions of devices will be connected in smart homes, smart schools, smart cities, smart and safer vehicles, enhanced health care and education, etc.

Other benefits as listed by Danbatta are the facts that 5G is positioned to improve job creation, increase GDP, unleash creativity and innovation, diversify the economy, improve transparency and efficiency of governance and also enhance security of lives and properties.

A Case For The Media

In his presentation at the workshop, Publisher of Political Economist, Mr Ken Ugbechie who spoke on “The Role of The Media in The Deployment of 5G in Nigeria”, advised media practitioners to assist the government to throw more light on the inherent benefits derivable from the 5G network which is scheduled to take off next year.

According to Ugbechie, it is the duty of the journalist; whether in publishing, broadcasting or Internet, to inform, educate, entertain, set agenda, influence, interpret, predict and persuade their audience.

Ahead of the anticipated January 2022 rollout of 5G, the media expert whose in-depth knowledge of the ICT sector is highly respected, expressed the view that, the media should be buzzing the information super-highway with explainers and analyses on how 5G will impact agriculture, ecommerce, e-banking, ICT, education, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, security, entertainment including the music and movie industries and other aspects of Digital Nigeria

He said that it is only when journalists play their roles, that the ordinary man out there, can understand and appreciate that, what has been created as 5G is neither an enemy nor a monster but a carefully innovated partner for development.

Amongst its predecessors – 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G, Ugbechie noted that 5G is the most controversial, because it can do what other genres (from 1G to 4G) cannot do with a far bigger capacity to do more.

“That is why 5G is different things to different people”, he said

Emphasising on the benefits of 5G network, Ugbechie said that 5G comes with multiple benefits being of higher data rate and provides a much faster Internet speed, ten times faster than 4G.

“It has lower latency (time it takes for data to be transferred from its original source to its destination); and it has larger capacity which makes it possible to connect to more end devices (IoT) with capacity to handle a maximum of 1 million devices per square kilometres.

Mr Ugbechie who is also the Executive Secretary, Africa Telecom Development Initiative observed that, this evolution is necessary to show us as journalists that techies are not sleeping.

“They are not static. They are constantly inventing and re-inventing. The ICT matrix and in fact the entire tech ecosystem is upping the ante in trends and trademarks”, Ugbechie stated.

Ugbechie opined that overtime, Nigerian media has restrained itself from moving with the conspiracy theory bandwagon, a situation that has restricted the conspiracy theorists to Social Media space.

Spelling out the roles of media practitioners in Nigeria’s transition to 5G, Ugbechie urged journalists to dismantle all conspiracy theories boldly and loudly.

“Reassure our audiences that if 1G did not give them malaria, 2G did not birth diarrhea, 3G did not produce pneumonia or 4G HIV there is no way 5G could be the causative agent of coronavirus, cancer or autism”, he said.

“But I must admit that the Nigerian media has not done enough to disabuse the mind of sceptics that there is no relationship between 5G and Covid-19. This surely underscores how not-very-important the media rates this misplaced theory. Yet, it bears restating that conspiracy theorists have been unrelenting in pushing across their baseless and unfounded falsehood”.

Commending NCC, Ugbechie noted that the Commission has became a benchmark for regulatory excellence in Africa such that the ITU was referring other African nations to visit Nigeria just to understudy the NCC.

According to him, that practice subsists till this day because the Commission has maintained the highest level of corporate governance in its regulatory duties.

Last Line

Ab initio, most stakeholders in the Nigeria’s telecom industry perceive spectrum auction for the deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) network as a banana peel for the Commission. In fact, the exercise had been seen as a litmus test for the actualisation of the 5G project.

However, for NCC to successfully carry out, both the mock and main auction, it is an indication that the Commission is on its way to mark a turning point in Nigeria’s determination to harness the benefits of 5G for the nation’s socio-economic growth, as concrete roll-out of 5G commences in 2022.