As Nigeria readies for 5G deployment

Significant 5G volumes are expected in 2021 and the region is likely to reach around 150 million 5G subscriptions in 2026, representing 18 per cent of total mobile subscriptions.Globally, 5G is expected to be the fastest deployed mobile communication technology in history and is forecast to cover about 60 per cent of the world’s population in 2026.At the end of 2020, 4G accounted for around 15 per cent of subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa while 3G was still the biggest portion at 43 per cent, followed by 2G at just under 42 per cent.

Deployment Slow In AfricaDespite its identified benefits, Ericsson Mobility Report for June 2021, showed that 5G network remains slow in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but it is expected to tick in the region over the next few years.Although 5G subscriptions were still below one per cent of total subscribers in SSA at the end of 2020, Ericsson expects “discernible volumes of 5G subscriptions” by 2022, reaching about seven per cent in 2026.The report, however, noted that 3G will remain the dominant tech on the continent – with a share of over 40 per cent of mobile subscriptions in 2026.

Report had it that the department of telecommunications (DoT), India, sold 2,251 MHz of spectrum for 5G at a base price of ₹3.92 trillion, which to some extent limited participation by telcos in the country.Nigeria expects to start auctioning spectrum for 5G network in the fourth quarter of this year, going by NCC projection.Seen as about 400 per cent hike in price in Nigeria by service providers, the NCC said each slot of the 5G spectrum would be going for a fixed price of N75 billion, adding that through auction, it could go as high as N100 billion.Price Hike May Cuts Access To 25m Nigerians With the N75 billion bounty on spectrum, only a few of the biggest operators may be able to pay for the license.

It is in fact expected that 5G will reach one billion users in three and half years time, compared with four years for 4G and 12 years for 3G.In 2019, Nigeria became the first West African country to initiate 5G network trials, when its biggest telecoms provider, MTN Nigeria, ran spectrum tests in its offices across two locations (Lagos and Calabar).

Large numbers of advanced countries of the world have adopted the 5G network, while others are considering its adoption in the next few years, because of its high connectivity speed that will drive new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoTs), among others.5G is designed to be a system that will bring flexibility to mobile, fixed and broadcast networks and support more extensive data requirements.

It predicted that 4G will grow to be about 28 per cent of the region’s subscriptions by 2026.In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, commercial 5G deployments are happening faster and 5G subscriptions exceeded one million at the end of 2020.

Globally, part of the progress made is the acceptance of technology as they evolve.”The Chairman of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Ikechukwu Nnamani, who admitted that Nigeria should not be left behind as far as emerging technologies are concerned, said reduced spectrum cost would help operators to deliver 5G service to subscribers at an affordable rate..

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