Ahead of 5G Rollout, Telcos Seek Regulatory Intervention to Enhance Early Approval for 5G Mast Installation

Emma Okonji

With the planned 5G network rollout in Nigeria next year, coupled with the high speed of internet connectivity with low latency that come with 5G technology, telecoms operators have called for quick regulatory intervention on the part of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in order to facilitate early approval for the installation of additional telecoms masts for 5G rollout.

The telcos raised fears about the regulatory tussle between the National Environmental Standard Regulatory Agency (NESRA), the Federal Ministry of Environment and the NCC, over the regulation of telecoms masts installation, a situation, which the telcos said, had brought about unnecessary delay in getting approval for the installation of telecoms masts.

The telcos who spoke at the ‘Talk To The Regulator Forum’ organised by NCC in Lagos, insisted that the NCC must intervene fast in the regulatory tussle, to enable the operators obtain early permit for 5G network rollout within the shortest time frame, since 5G network rollout comes with faster interconnection speed.
The telcos were of the view that any delays in giving approval for telecoms masts installation, would adversely affect the planned 5G network rollout in Nigeria by 2022.

Associate Director, Regulatory Services, IHS Towers, Mr. Damian Udeh, who spoke on behalf of telecoms masts installers, said with the low latency of 5G, there was need for faster approval of shorter distance for cell sites and telecoms masts, and that such approval must not be delayed in any way.

In order to achieve faster approval time for cell site installation, Udeh advised that NCC should give approval-in-principle for cell site and mast installation after the commission must have gone through the documentation submitted by the operators seeking for such approval.

He said the approval-in-principle would enable the operator to commerce the installation immediately, while the joint regulatory team will later inspect such installation site to ensure compliance with all the specifications contained in the documents that had already been submitted by the operator.

According to Udeh, the regulator could decommission any telecoms masts and cell site that are under construction, should the operator fail to comply with the given specifications for telecoms mast installation.
He said the initial specification for the installation of telecoms masts was 10 metres setback, which was later reduced to 7.5 metres setback and later to 5 metres setback.

Responding to reactions from telecoms operators, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management at NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, said there was an initial specification of a setback of 5 meters for the installation of telecoms masts, but that in spite of the specification, there was regulatory overlap between the National Environmental Standard Regulatory Agency (NESRA), the Federal Ministry of Environment and the NCC, over the regulation and issuance of approval for the installation of telecoms masts. He said the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami had to set up an inter-ministerial committee to address the issues resulting to clash of regulatory interests.

According to Adewolu, “Another operator also raised the issue of community challenges faced by telecoms operators in rolling out telecoms infrastructure across the country, and it is time for NCC to address all of these issues in order to create the enabling business environment for the successful rollout of 5G network in 2022. NCC will intervene in the regulatory tussle among the regulators and also engage with the communities that are creating challenges for telecoms infrastructure rollout.”

Director, Technical Standards at NCC, Bako Wakil said NCC understood all of those challenges, and that the commission had since reduced its interim approval time for the rollout of telecoms infrastructure.

Wakil however called on telecoms operators to be more innovative in the planned rollout of 5G network.
He said operators should think of new methods of installing telecoms masts, that is different from the usual installation of 35 metres high telecoms masts, which he said would cluster the environment if the same high-rise masts that were used for 2G, 3G and 4G rollout, “would also be applied for 5G rollout, given the fact that 5G network comes with lower latency and shorter distance for cell sites and telecoms masts installations.”

“So with 5G network rollout, it will be absurd to have high-rise telecoms masts installed in every 100 metres to 200 metres space. So there should be an innovative way of installing cell sites for 5G rollout. If telecoms operators are thinking of implementing 5G network rollout in the same fashion and manner in which 2G, 3G and 4G networks were implemented through high-rise mast installation, then 5G rollout is not going to work. So telcos must be creative and innovative with 5G rollout because of the low latency and high capacity that are associated with 5G network rollout,” Wakil said.