The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have called for support and understanding of Nigerians towards deployment of the fifth generation (5G) technology as 5G will affect the global economy and drive growth exponentially, according to recent landmark economy study conducted by Qualcomm.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta stated this at the Capacity Building Programme for members of Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), held at the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Abuja on Tuesday.
He said, though a lot of falsehoods and misinformation have been peddled both online and traditional media outlets about the health and safety implications of deploying 5G technology, federal government will continue to provide an enabling environment for the ICT sector to thrive.
He said, “5G’s full economic effect will likely be realized across the globe by 2035, supporting a wide range of industries and potentially enabling up to $13.2 trillion worth of goods and services. This impact will be much greater than the current 4G network.
He added that, “5G when fully deployed will provide increased speed and bandwidth as well as provide deeper coverage to reach people in rural or challenging locations. In addition, 5G will provide strong security for the various sectors of government and private organizations.”
He stated that, due to its sheer scale and scope, the ITU predicts 5G will accelerate the achievements of all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) from affordable and clean energy to zero hunger; noting that, “the misinformation or misrepresentation of 5G technology has the potential of derailing the launch/implementation of this new technology in our clime.”
Speaking on essence of the training, the EVC said, “Many Nigerians including citizens in more civilized countries were hooked on the notion that the introduction of 5G technology was the reason behind the spread of the novel COVID-19 pandemic. This misconception was even made worse because those saddled with the responsibility of informing, education and enlightening the average Nigerian telecom consumers were also bereft of the knowledge of this new technology and hitched a ride on the band wagon of doubters.
This is the reason why training such as this is necessary for members of NITRA who have continued to cover the ICT industry in Nigeria. We will ensure that the NCC maintains that training periodically for our crucial stakeholders in the media to ensure that the information that reaches the average Nigeria is accurate and timely.
It is our duty and responsibility to ensure that whatever we want to introduce to Nigerian telecoms space is well understood by Nigerians and all those who make use of our telecom services.”
He stressed that, “the onus is on all of us here today to make sure that we take this training seriously and take advantage of it to expand on our horizons. This is very necessary so that when we report events or activities relating to the industry, we are able to translate them into language that the common man will readily understand.
According to one of the resource persons Chief Martin Nwoga who was addressing participants on ‘Telecommunication and National Development: 5G and Implications/Spectrum Monitoring, said, there is no correlation between the 5G towers and cancer or any other health risk according to an American report .
He said, as of October 2020, 5G is already available in 46 countries.
5G have the capacity to support one million devices and will create at least 500 thousand direct and indirect jobs in the first year of deployment especially in the telecom sector. “If we are not early adoptor of 5G, we are not going to get part of the $13.2 trillion estimated economic growth,” he said.
He therefore tasks Nigerians on acquiring skills relevant to this trend so that Nigeria can be producers and not just consumer of 5G.
Blueprint reports that 5G is simply a higher performance of the telecommunication sector with ultra fast internet.
