Expert List Benefits of 5G, Tasks FG on Hitch-free Rollout Ahead of Today’s Payment Deadline

Emma Okonji

Ahead of today’s payment deadline, when MTN Nigeria Plc and Mafab Communications Limited are expected to make payments for their 5G spectrum licence, the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) and CEO of Tetconsult, UK and Nigeria, Mr. Shola Taylor, has tasked the federal government on hitch-free 5G technology rollout, while highlighting its benefits.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta had announced the Information Memorandum on 5G licence, which mandated MTN Nigeria Plc and Mafab Communications Limited to make payment of $273.6 million each for the 5G licence on or before February 24, 2022, which is today. The Information Memorandum also mandated Danbatta to give update of the payment on February 27, before NCC issues the licence for 5G rollout in Nigeria.

Speaking about the benefits of 5G rollout during his lead paper presentation at the official handing over of Spectrum Allocation for 5G deployment to the NCC in Abuja, Taylor said: “5G is a reality and the impact on our lives is real and the benefits are endless. Nigeria is already in it. We have started well and must be prepared for the disruption that will come in spite of the challenges. We cannot go back. We cannot remain where we are so the only option is to move forward and move quickly.”

He therefore tasked the federal government to ensure a hitch-free rollout of 5G technology across Nigeria, after the payment and issuance of spectrum licence must have been concluded by the NCC.

Highlighting the benefits of 5G technology, Taylor said the ability of 5G to offer lower latency, higher capacity, and increased bandwidth, had made it attractive and revolutionary for national development.

He said the 5G features would enable an endless set of possibilities and benefits for Nigeria – for the individuals, for government and businesses.

According to him, “In the health sector, data, especially real time data is key to preventive and curative health care. It is common, for example to transit magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for specialist examination. In our environment and with the current network limitations, this may take an unusually long time. A more secure and reliable 5G network, which will take much less time will obviously improve healthcare delivery.”

He said 5G would also help in the monitoring of consumer products that are transported everywhere all the time with all kinds of delivery mechanisms. “Quality assurance is key. The quality of consumer products meant for end users would be better monitored and assured through the deployment of 5G networks across delivery trucks transporting a consumer product. Some of the IoT sensors on the trucks can send data on certain features such as temperature variations that often lead to product contamination,” Taylor said.

In the area of national security, Taylor added that the improved data speeds and lower latency of 5G technologies would be of immense benefit to security forces as the technology would enhance standard operational activities – Command and Control (C2), logistics, maintenance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality.

In the transport sector, Taylor said autonomous vehicles were gradually becoming a reality. “Although for us, this may be on the horizon, we stand to benefit initially from the use of 5G to achieve better traffic control through installation of traffic lights that change their patterns based on traffic flow in such heavily congested areas like Lagos to improve what we usually call Go Slow,” Taylor said.

He explained that the broadcast sector would benefit immensely from 5G, especially how events and programmes are captured, produced and transmitted to people around the world. He added that the finance sector would also benefit from 5G, as stockbrokers and other traders would have information on developments in the market much faster than achievable with 4G networks.