The Federal Government is set to begin the roll-out of fifth-generation (5G) services across the country. Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, made the statement on Friday at a public inquiry on the instruments necessary for the deployment of the technology. The instruments are the annual operating levy regulations and the frequency spectrum regulations.
Professor Danbatta clarified that the commission has submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy and is awaiting approval from the Federal Government to roll out the services. He added that the commission is also discussing the fees and pricing for the technology.
The NCC and the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in May to facilitate the deployment of 5G technology. Both agencies signed the agreement on the use of C-Band Spectrum for 5G services in Nigeria at an event in Abuja.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners at the NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande, noted that in recent times, precisely from the last quarter of 2019, several administrations have begun to license spectrum for commercial deployment of 5G. He stated that 5G services have already been deployed in the United States and South Korea among many more countries in the world.