FG Gets Nod  To Deploy 5G Network

The Senate has given  the federal government the go-ahead to approve the deployment of the 5G network in Nigeria.

The development followed  the consideration of the report of its Joint Committees on Communications, Science and Technology, ICT and Cybercrimes, and Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases.

The upper chamber adopted the Joint Committee’s recommendations which were outcomes of investigation into the status of 5G Network in Nigeria and its technological impact on Nigerian citizens.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who  tendered the report in the   chamber, said the technological impact of 5G will revolutionize Nigerians’ way of life

She explained that the decision to recommend the deployment of the 5G technology was based on information provided by Government establishments such as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Information Technology Development Agency etc, and other telecoms professional organisations such as the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Global System of Mobile Communications Association.”

The report revealed that though no license has been issued to any Mobile Number Operator on commercial basis, government needs to “still observe the trend of 5G deployments around the globe and engage in extensive sensitization of the public through all channels before commencement of commercial deployments in the country.”

The lawmakers urged relevant government agencies to put the necessary infrastructure and technology in place for its eventual deployment.

They also called on the federal government to ensure that global standards for the deployment of 5G technology are strictly adhered to, while looking out for lessons learnt by countries that have already deployed in order to guide our own deployment.