The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has debunked rumors going round that Nigeria’s telecommunication industry will launch 5G network on May 12.
According to the NCC, no license has been issued yet for any telecoms company to switch to the new network which is an advanced model of the 4G network and is now in use in China, Australia and some other countries.
Several reports have also debunked the rumored speculations that 5G network causes COVID-19.
The NCC in a statement issued by its director of public affairs, Henry Nkemadu, said that “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.”
“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.”
Nkemadu made reference to the 5G trials that were conducted in Lagos, Calabar and Abuja by the NCC in November 2019.
Quoting the executive vice-chairman of the NCC, Umar Garba Dambatta, he said that “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).”
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