“Trainings are ongoing and we are expanding the spectrum of beneficiaries, especially engineers and others who will extend knowledge to others; we are emphasising enhanced broadband both in the wholesale and retail segments; we will also continue to sensitize people about the usefulness of 5G; and we will continue with existing collaborations with sub-regional, continental and global partners to ensure we deploy 5G with effectiveness”, Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.
Danbatta stated this, while responding to questions during a high profile and captivating webinar, titled: “Unlocking 5G Potential in Africa”, held on StreamYard, a live streaming studio on November 22, 2021. The webinar was jointly organised by Qualcomm and Forum Global, under the auspices of TECH POLICY TALKS, instituted to power technology policy debates in the European Union. Qualcomm, a creator of software and owner of patents central to 4G and 5G usability, is a US multinational corporation, while Forum Global is the international arm of Forum Europe which specialises in the organisation of policy-focused conferences on a global scale.
The Chief Executive Officer of NCC, the Nigerian telecom regulatory authority, had earlier made a remarkable presentation that captured the multisectoral nature of 5G applications, indicating that the technology transcends the telecom and ICT sector to embrace every facet of human life. Danbatta provoked a debate that demonstrated Nigeria’s readiness to deploy 5G and by so doing emphasised the centrality of multistakeholder nature of the emerging conversations around the technology that have triggered great enthusiasm.
Danbatta informed the audience that Nigeria has enjoyed collaborating with the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), the Africa Telecommunications Union (ATU), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the global superintendent of telecommunications. Danbatta indicated that Nigeria continued to receive visitations by countries who wished to benchmark their operations, just as Nigeria has also visited other countries to explore how 5G and associated technologies can be deployed effectively because 5G technologies are not just valuable, they are so significant due to their derivable social and economic benefits.
