Nigeria inched towards the deployment of 5G communications technology as the Nigerian Communications Commission and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the use of C-Band spectrum on Nigerian communications satellites for 5G services.

The C-Band spectrum is expected to play a critical role in helping the nation achieve enhanced broadband and ultra-reliable latency communication.

Chairman, Board of Commissioners, at NCC, Prof. Adeolu Akande, said at the event in recent times, several administrations had begun to license spectrum for commercial deployment of 5G.

He said, “Today, 5G services have already been deployed in the United States of America, South Korea, and many more countries.

“Fifth Generation will build on this momentum, bringing substantial network improvements, including higher connection speeds, mobility, and capacity, as well as low-latency capabilities.”

Nigeria hopes to be one of the leading nations in 5G deployment. The NCC disclosed this much in a document, ‘Deployment of Fifth Generation Mobile Technology in Nigeria’ available on its website.

The document said, “Fifth Generation represents the fifth generation in mobile communications evolution and an incremental deployment is expected over the following decade.

 “It is designed to be a system of systems that will bring flexibility to mobile, fixed, and broadcast networks and support more extensive data requirements.

“The technology will impact on the way interactions are done by enabling in some cases unforeseen business models, enhanced lifestyles all resulting in increased productivity.

 “Some of the technologies already being touted include automated cars and advanced manufacturing, the Internet of things (IoT) which will enable thousands of connected devices, such as smart energy meters, work together and share information. These changes and innovation have enormous economic benefits.”

It added that IHS Economics estimated that 5G would enable $12.3tn of global economic output in 2035.

Executive Vice Chairman at NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the C-band was most suitable for immediate deployment of 5G services taking into consideration availability of device ecosystem with 60-70 per cent of global commercial 5G network deployment currently in the band.

He said, “Amongst the Frequency Spectrum bands allocated to 5G by the International Telecommunications Union stands out because its balancing point between coverage and capacity provides the perfect environment for 5G connectivity.”

The C-band is all frequencies between 4 and 8GHz. In Nigeria it is between 3.4GHz and 3.9GHz.