Buhari approves 5G technology trial in Nigeria -Pantami

By Etuka Sunday

MTN Nigeria on Monday in Abuja showcased the first live demo of 5G network (5th generation network technology).
This according to the telco operator will enable the company to provide better data services at a more affordable cost to its subscribers.
Speaking at the event the Minister of Communications and Digital Technology, Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami said the approval for the trial of 5G technology in Nigeria was endorsed by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This administration is passionate about developing Nigeria’s ICT Sector which contributes more than Oil and Gas to GDP”.
While representating Mr President during the trial demonstration of 5G technology, Pantami expressed delight to be part of the historical moment, stressing that migration from 4G to 5G will be a revolution in the industry.
The Minister further disclosed that President Buhari has directed him to address the challenges facing the telecom sector systematically, hinting that an executive order is in the pipeline to consider Telecommunications Infrastructure as critical national assets.
Dr Pantami said, “we are working to ensure the business environment in Nigeria for the telecom operators is conducive”.
Recall that the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta had at one time told the global community that African continent holds the ace and that 5G is the next frontier of investment.
He had averred that 5G will provide a very veritable and convincing investment for investors.
Speaking during the trial in Abuja, former NCC Executive Vice Chairman Ernest Ndukwe who is also a board member of MTN Nigeria expressed his delight on the fact that Nigeria is one of the countries championing 5G trial on the continent.
“MTN averred that the new technology is at least 100 times faster than 4G. when compared to 4G, 5G provides faster data transfer speed and lower latency. Additionally, 5G boasts of improved reliability as well as better support for more devices.
“5G is a transformational change from 4G, with the potential to provide 20 times faster data speeds and carries a massive amount of data for a large number of simultaneous users.
“5G will support business innovative ambitions and create new markets transforming supply chain management and creating smarter more efficieny manufacturing. FG is extremely fast and supports data transfer rates of up to 20Gbits/S.
“5G will allow stream, download and upload of huge quantities of data at a much faster rate.
During a comparison test on both 4G and 5G networks, it took just 15.78 seconds to download a 2.3 GB video on the 5G network. The same file on 4G took exactly 5 minutes, 3.84 seconds”, he said.