As Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is about to roll out 5G into the market, Nigerians are told in clear terms to be ready to pay more for mobile data.
5G is the fifth-generation wireless technology for digital cellular networks that began wide deployment in 2019 and it uses higher energy millimeter-wave radiation.
This is as NCC is planning to revolutionise the communication industry with the planned launch of 6G in the year 2030.
The Director, Technical Standards & Networks Integrity, Nigerian Communications Commission, Engr. Wakil Baku stated this at the ongoing Social Media Week 2020 in Lagos on Thursday.
Speaking on the topic: Fifth Generation Network (5G) Deployment: Socio-economic Benefits and Challenges, Wakil said this was so because 5G will be smarter, faster and more efficient than 4G and promises mobile data speeds that far outstrip the fastest home broadband network currently available to consumers.
According to him, with speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second, 5G is set to be as much as 100 times faster than 4G.
“At the moment 4G hovers its radiofrequency radiation within the coverage area of the mast, but 5G will direct its radio to the end-user as a way of enhancing effective coverage. The rate of penetration will go to the user unlike 4G which is concentrating its spectrums around the environment,” he explained.
He, however, noted that the spectrum mix will be higher in the urban centres where masts are mounted but limited in the low-density area, especially the rural areas.
Commenting on some countries blocking the trail of 5G for fear of health hazards, he dismissed it as false, saying that many countries in the world have begun the commercial use of 5G and that Nigeria must enjoy the benefits of every technology.
The director said NCC has directed telecom operators in the country to begin the re-registration of SMS cards from now till December 2020 to determine genuine owners as a way of using such to curb criminal activities.
Though 5G will ionize radiation that is dangerous and can break chemical bonds, Wakil doused fear that 5G will not cause cancer as widely believed by some people.
However, some communications experts till contend that the new network generates radiofrequency radiation that can damage DNA and lead to cancer; cause oxidative damage that can cause premature aging; disrupt cell metabolism, and potentially lead to other diseases through the generation of stress proteins.
