Emma Okonji
Stakeholders in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector have restated the value of the Fifth Generation (5G) services, especially on the positive use of the internet to ease connectivity, and have urged Nigerians to optimise the 5G service.
They also noted that 5G technology has enhanced capabilities that would provide superior communications services for the socio-economic development of Nigeria and facilitate attainment of a national digital economy.
Speakers at the 2023 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) with the theme “5G Data Governance, Safety and Security in Nigeria,” organised by ITRealms Media Group, made the assertions.
In his keynote, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said data remained critical to the digital economy, and assured that NCC would continue to build robust legal frameworks for data governance.
“As we embrace the transformative potential of 5G, we must also prioritise safety concerns,” Danbatta said.
Danbatta, who was represented by the Head of New Media, NCC, Dr. Chidi Diugwu, said the amount and speed of data generated using 5G technology, remained unprecedented and beckoned on citizens to embrace it and use it to the fullest.
The chairman of 2023 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) and President, Computer Society of Nigeria (NCS), Prof. Simon Adesina Sodiya, said the internet as a global connection of networks, would continue to provide opportunity for people to share information in order to connect to one another.
On the internet, Sodiya explained that the importance of data security and governance cannot be over emphasised, while stressing the essence to come up with guidelines, procedures, rules, for realistic usage of internet.
The Business Development Executive, Wizzhub Technology Limited, Mr. Uzor Francis, spoke on the benefits of 5G, such as speed carrying capacity, how much integral benefits and inter-connectivity of the devices that internet offers, as 5G enables most of these things.
About challenges of 5G, especially on security, Uzor said it would require enlightened participants on some of the measures, urging Nigerians to mitigate the challenges they may face while using 5G mobile services.
Earlier while welcoming participants, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media Group, Mr. Remmy Nweke, noted that 5G mobile network would be a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G and 4G respectively.
