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Nigeria Plans to Roll Out Additional 5G Licenses in 2023

December 6, 2022

The Nigerian government has said that it has concluded plans to roll out two more 3.5GHz spectrum licenses for the 5^th Generation (5G) licenses in 2023. This was made known by the country’s telecoms regulator, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).

The NCC said the planned roll out is in furtherance of the Commission’s determination to fast-track the achievement of the National Digital transformation agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO), NCC, revealed this at the TechTV, Digital Agenda Forum which was held in Lagos at the weekend. The session, with the theme “Looking Forward 2023 – Convergence of 5G, AI, IoT & Blockchain,” was a platform to review the activities and progress in the nation’s ICT industry in 2022 and for an insight into expectations for 2023.

According to Danbatta, “the NCC is working to ensure a comprehensive Digital Transformation as a key driver by converging and harnessing the successes of various emerging technologies at our disposal for the common good of our nation’s transformation agenda.” He explained that artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are necessary for a fully functional and efficient 5G network as conventional 4G networks with all-IP (Internet Protocol) broadband connectivity are reactive, which results in low spectrum utilisation.

The field of Al and its subcategories such as machine learning and deep learning has advanced to the point where 5G wireless networks can now be proactive and predictive, which is crucial for realizing the 5G vision of high spectrum utilization by enabling new advanced services based on its support for Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC).

In addition, he added, that the 5G network will be critical to fully implementing the Internet of Things (loTs) that connects computing resources such as sensors, automobiles, and wearable gadgets with people.

The EVC remarked that to enhance economic transformation, the NCC is making efforts to continually drive initiatives that accelerate the deployment of digital infrastructure in Nigeria. It is through this effort that the Commission had in December 2021 awarded two telecommunication companies the bid for the 5G spectrum licenses in one of the most remarkable and successful auctions in Africa. Ghanaian Consul General in Lagos, her Excellency, Samata Gifty Bukari, thanked the Nigerian Communications Commission for providing an uncommon regulatory prowess that other African telecom regulators are emulating as the NCC continues to create an enabling Telecom environment for investors.

She called on leaders across the continent to be committed to the digital economy agenda as it has the potential to transform nations noting that digital education is a panacea not an option in this age.

Rita Ndidi Amuchienwa, Country Executive Leader, West Africa Intel Corporation, who delivered the keynote address stated that the firm is investing in education, especially skills for innovation and artificial intelligence. It is working with state governments to expand access to digital knowledge and skills.

She revealed that Intel is empowering universities noting that it has a project with Baze University to build a platform to enable them to take the know-how to the grassroots.

Pius Okigbo Jnr, CEO, InfoSoft Nigeria Limited, and the Chairman of the Digital Agenda Forum 2022, noted that education is critical to creating the future we desire. He called on governments at all levels to make education a priority.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Nigeria to Auction 5G Spectrum as Rollout Plan Gathers Pace

July 24, 2021

There are indications that with the pace of rollout of the 5G spectrum in Nigeria, the country will soon auction the spectrum in the fourth quarter of 2021 as plans to officially launch the next-generation network. It could be recalled that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) signed an agreement with NigcomSat, a communications satellite firm, to allow 5G services in the country to ride on the latter’s C-band frequency spectrum.

The spectrum is being used for the majority of commercial deployment of 5G networks globally. As of February this year, several U.S. telecoms companies had spent billions of dollars for C-band.

Following the deal, Nigeria expects to start auctioning the spectrum by Q4 2021, according to NCC vice chair Umar Garba Danbatta.

“Securing spectrum for 5G is an antecedent for any operator to commit serious investment in 5G infrastructure,” Danbatta said.

The auctioning process is expected to move to the assignment stage in the first quarter of next year, during which companies chosen can then bid for their preferred positions within the airwaves.

Nigeria’s latest move towards a national rollout of the next generation network comes as it plays catchup in Africa’s 5G race behind Kenya and South Africa, both of which have already launched commercial 5G networks.

According to GSMA, a commercial 5G network is one in which a customer can purchase a 5G subscription. MTN and Vodacom launched 5G publicly in South Africa last July, the first African country to do so. Kenya followed suit in April this year.

Across the continent, there were 24 operators in 18 African countries – such as Lesotho, Gabon and Egypt – testing 5G as of February 2020. Of those operators, eight had deployed 5G into pre-commercial or commercial networks, according to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA).

Back in 2019, MTN pioneered 5G network trials in Nigeria. The network operator successfully ran spectrum tests in its offices across the country with support from Huawei, ZTE, and Ericsson.

There have been health-related concerns regarding 5G and conspiracy theories linking the technology with Covid-19, which the Nigerian government dispelled.

Regulators in the West African nation have quickly embraced the commercial implementation of 5G, which is much faster than current networks and supports many more devices in a given area compared to 4G.

The new network is expected to serve as critical infrastructure for a range of industries in Africa, advancing smart transportation, medicine, manufacturing, the internet of things, etc.

However, concerns remain over the capacity of African governments to achieve mass adoption of 5G given the low penetration of previous network generations. Nigeria wants 90% of its population to have access to 4G and 5G connections by 2025, but only 4% of mobile subscribers in the country were on the 4G network as of 2019, per a Jumia report.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

Nigeria Yet to Approve for 5G Deployment

July 2, 2021

As many African countries are linking up with the rest of the world through the 5G technology, Nigerians are waiting for the final approval from the federal government to begin the final journey into the deployment of 5G technology which analysts say is expected to begin sometime relatively soon, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Media reports show that the only obstacle to the deployment of the technology in Nigeria is approval by the country’s Federal Government. A previously existing obstacle, a supposed loose end, has recently been tightened by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Approval from the Federal Government is expected within the next few months.

After two trials conducted by MTN and Ericsson in 2019, with the supervision of the NCC, Nigeria’s Upper Legislative Chamber, the Senate approved the deployment of 5G networks in the country.

The Senate had agreed that the technological impact that was promised with 5G would “revolutionise Nigerians’ ways of life”, with expected positive changes from education to agriculture, security to entertainment, and governance in general if the technology is deployed.

This is following the outcome of investigations by a joint committee mandated to look into the status of 5G in Nigeria and its technological impact on Nigerian citizens.

The EVP of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has inaugurated an 18-member council in Abuja to facilitate the auctioning of spectrum licenses for 5G deployment. The council will see NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Ubale Maska as Auction Adviser while the Director, Spectrum Administration, NCC, Oluwatoyin Asaju, will be the Committee Chairman.

Danbatta says that apart from developing the Information Memorandum (IM) for auctioning of C-band spectrum for 5G deployment in the country, the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the committee will include the development of an award process to be used in deciding to which company or provider the grant of spectrum licenses can be made.

Danbatta believes the outcome of the work of the committee is a major step towards the realisation of 5G service deployment in Nigeria. According to him, the NCC has committed “enormous resources” to ensure spectrum is secured and released in a timely manner for the present and future deployments of services that will push the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Nigeria.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry