No licence has been issued for 5G, says NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says the rumour that the telecommunication industry will switch to fifth-generation (5G) network on May 12 is false.

5G mobile technology is an improvement on today’s 4G technology, and it is already in deployment in some countries like China, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.

In a statement on Sunday, Henry Nkemadu, NCC director of public affairs, said there is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment.

“The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to a mischievous statement making the rounds on social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites that the Nigerian telecoms industry is going to switch on Fifth Generation (5G) in Lagos this  Sunday 10th, Monday 11th or Tuesday 12th May 2020,” he said.

“The statement from the faceless individuals or groups cannot be further from the truth. The commission has unequivocally stated that there is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment.”

In November, 2019, the NCC carried out 5G trials in Lagos, Calabar and Abuja — an exercise that has since been concluded.

Nkemadu quoted Umar Garba Dambatta, NCC executive vice-chairman, as saying: “The trial among others was to study and observe any health or security challenges the 5G network might present. Relevant stakeholders including members of the security agencies were invited to participate during the trial.”

“NCC has not issued any licence for 5G in Nigeria and therefore, the mobile network operators (MNOs) cannot switch on such technology.

“NCC is technology-neutral. As such, we don’t license technology but assigns spectrum to operators for deployment of any service when allocated by the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC).”

The commission asked Nigerians to rely on accurate information rather than social media messages circulated to misinform people.