Benjamin Babine, Abuja
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that it has commenced necessary processes to develop a policy for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology in Nigeria.
The process of developing this policy will involve a public inquiry which will involve relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy, Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Assembly, Ministry of Health.
Others included in this process are Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nigerian Medical Association, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Mobile Network Operators, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, among others.
The commission, which made this known on Thursday through a statement by its Director, Public Affairs, Dr Henry Nkemadu, explained that the technology has proven to be safe to human health and beneficial for socio-economic development.
NCC stated: “The Nigerian Communications Commission is mandated by Section 4(q) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 (the NCA), to prepare and implement programmes and plans that promote and ensure the development of the communications industry and the provision of communications services in Nigeria.
“Further to this mandate, the Commission considered that the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) Technology will be beneficial for socio-economic development of Nigeria. The technology is an advancement of existing mobile technologies (2G, 4G) with enhanced capabilities providing new and enhanced mobile communications services.”
The technology regulator went on explaining that the deployment of 5G will consequently promote the National Digital Economy, thereby improving the way Nigerians live and work. It stressed that the technology will bring improvements in manufacturing, transportation, health, agriculture, media and entertainment, education, among others.
The commission went on to assure the public of the measures already taken in testing the technology, saying: “5G has been deployed commercially and in use in some countries. As with the previous technologies, the International Commission for Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has classified radiation from 5G as non-ionizing and therefore safe for human beings.”