By John Ikani
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to auction five slots of spectrum for deployment of the Fifth Generation (5G) technology.
This was disclosed by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), of the NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta during the public hearing/inquiry on the proposed draft Regulations on Telephone Subscriber Registration, SIM replacement and Spectrum allocation, 2021 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Dambatta stated that the commission had put everything in place to auction five slots of 5G spectrum.
“When I appeared before the Senate, on our readiness for 5G deployment, I said we were 95% but right now we are 97percent,” he said.
Also speaking at the public hearing, Mr Adeleke Adewolu, NCC Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management, said the public hearing and inquiry on the spectrum trading guidelines, SIM registration guidelines and telephone users guidelines would help the commission to improve the industry.
Adewolu appealed to the commission to look into the N200,000 penalty for an active unregistered line and review it upward so that it could serve as a deterrent.
“This spectrum trading guidelines, telephone users’ guidelines and SIM replacement guidelines would help to guarantee growth in the industry,” he said
What you should know
In telecommunications, 5G is the fifth generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, which cellular phone companies began deploying worldwide in 2019, and is the planned successor to the 4G networks which provide connectivity to most current cellphones.
Several countries which have already commenced the deployment of 5G and are enjoying its benefits include the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, South Africa and Lesotho.
In May, the NCC signed an agreement with the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) on the use of the C-band spectrum for 5G services in the country.
In September, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) authorised the deployment of 5G networks for Nigeria’s digital economy.
Also in that month, the Federal Government announced that the Fifth Generation (5G) network will be rolled out in Nigeria in January 2022 and will help in the surveillance against vandalism of public assets.
