NCC, Telcos Reassure Nigerians on 5G Deployment, Harp on Benefits
Emma Okonji
Telecom operators and the telecom industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have reassured Nigerians of their readiness and commitment to begin 5G rollout across the country on August 24 this year.
MTN, one of the winners of the 3.5GHz spectrum that was auctioned in December last year by the NCC for 5G rollout, said its 5G infrastructure have been tested and ready for deployment.
NCC on its part, said the rollout plan to begin 5G network deployment in August, and to cover two states by June 2023, six states by June 2024, and national coverage by June 2025, would be strictly followed as contained in the Information Memorandum (IM).
The operators and the NCC who gave the assurance at the 90th Edition of the Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) hosted by the Consumer Affairs Bureau of the Commission in Lagos recently, stressed the need for collaboration in order to achieve the 5G rollout plan.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, in his opening remarks, called for industry collaboration for a successful deployment of 5G services in Nigeria.
He urged industry stakeholders to stand with the Commission to explore the prospects and potentials, including the benefits of the new 5G technology, which he said, would be enormous.
Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau at NCC, Efosa Idehen, in his welcome speech, said: “Telecom Consumer Parliament (TCP) remains a great platform for addressing critical industry issues affecting consumers and other stakeholders in the telecommunications value-chain in Nigeria. As a platform that has addressed various consumer-centric issues, and has made significant and far-reaching impacts on the industry as well as benefited stakeholders in many ways in the past, the Telecom Consumer Parliament is again proving pivotal as Nigeria finalizes arrangements for the rollout of 5G technology.”
During the panel discussion, chaired by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management of NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, he urged all participants to exploit the opportunities offered by the 90th TCP to contribute to the deployment of 5G Network in Nigeria.
