Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reacted to rumours and theories about 5G technology.
Henry Nkemadu, NCC Director of Public Affairs, in a statement on
Monday, explained that there is no correlation between 5G technology and
COVID-19.
He noted that 5G is an advancement on 4G designed to transform the
world positively, adding that there is no deployment of the technology
in Nigeria at the moment.
Nkemadu recalled that the NCC, in November 2019, approved a trial
test for 5G for a period of three months; that the trial has been
concluded and installation decommissioned.
“The trial, among others, was to study and observe any health or
security challenges the 5G network might present. Relevant stakeholders,
including members of the security agencies, were invited to participate
during the trial.
“The NCC will continue to maintain its policy of technology
neutrality and will continue to encourage Service Providers to deploy
the best technology that will meet the needs of the society in a secured
and friendly manner”, he said.
The agency further gave answers to 19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by Nigerians.
Q: What is 5G?
Ans: 5G is a fifth generation of mobile technology which is an
improvement on today’s 4G technology with enhanced capabilities. The 5G
technology provides the platform for new and emerging technologies such
as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big
Data to improve the way we live and work.
Q: Do we have 5G network in Nigeria now?
Ans: No. There is no 5G network in Nigeria at the moment. What we had
was a trial test for 3 months which has since been concluded.
Q: When are we expecting 5G in Nigeria?
Ans: No exact time frame but when conditions are right and all doubts are cleared.
Q: Do we have a spectrum for 5G in Nigeria?
Ans: Yes, particularly the millimetre wave spectrum from 24GHz and above are available.
Q: Have we given out 5G spectrum to operators?
Ans: No. It will be auctioned at the appropriate time.
Q: Are there 5G deployments around the world?
Ans: Yes, in countries like South Korea, China, USA, Germany and others since the middle of 2019.
Q: Is the radiation from 5G different from those of 2G, 3G and 4G?
Ans: No, they all belong to the same class of non-ionizing radiation.
Q: Who is going to Allocate spectrum for 5G in Nigeria?
Ans: The National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) Chaired by the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has the
responsibility for allocating bulk spectrum for various services.
Q: Should I be concerned about 5G technology?
Ans: No, nothing to worry about. Safety and human health are top priority in the design and deployment of 5G.
Q: What are the benefits of 5G ?
Ans: 5G technology will transform the world by connecting everything
with everybody. It will create millions of jobs, it will add billions of
dollars to the economy (GDP), and can solve some of our problems such
as insecurity and improve governance and efficiency in the society.
Q: Is 5G causing Coronavirus or COVID-19?
Ans: No, there is no link whatsoever between 5G and Coronavirusor COVID-19.
Q: Should I ignore all the negative narratives I am hearing about 5G?
Ans: No, but rely on information from world standards-making bodies
such as WHO, ITU, IEEE and industry experts for advice when in doubt.
Q: Is there a standard limit set for Radiation from mobile devices?
Ans: Yes, there are radiation emission limits set by the International
Commission for Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) below which
the radiation is considered safe for humans.
Q: Are the mobile network operators in Nigeria conforming to the Radiation emissions limits?
Ans: Yes, the NCC has been regularly conducting measurements of
radiation emissions from base stations across the country and they are
all well below the set limits.
Q: Is 5G the same as fibre cable?
Ans: No, fibre cable is a terrestrial technology for broadband that
existed for decades while 5G is a new mobile technology for enhanced
quality of service as explained in Question 1 above.
Q: Are there other sources of radiation apart from mobile base stations?
Ans: Yes, there are other sources of radiation which include television
stations, radio broadcast stations, wifi and so on. They all belong to
the class of radiation considered to be safe for humans when operated
below the set limits.
Q: Who owns 5G?
Ans: 5G is not owned by anybody but a collection of technologies,
standards and processes agreed at the international level by
standards-making bodies.
Q: Has NCC issued licenses for 5G in Nigeria?
Ans: No. NCC has not issued any licence for 5G in Nigeria. NCC is
technology-neutral as such we don’t license technology but assigns
spectrum to operators for deployment of any service when allocated by
NFMC.
Q: Why are some operators rolling out fibre during the lockdown period?
Ans: As a result of the lockdown, the amount of voice and data usage has
increased by huge amounts and there is a need to expand the network to
provide optimum quality of service to users sitting at home. Telecom is
also critical for information dissemination during the lockdown.