The Executive Vice Chairman, EVC,
Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has
said that the country is exploring the potential benefits as well as health
implications of deploying the Fifth Generation, 5G, network.
He stated this in his keynote
address at the 2020 Virtua Nigeria Innovation Summit held in Abuja.
The EVC was represented at the
event by the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, who delivered
the keynote address.
He added that “The socio-economic
benefits of the expansion in telecommunications infrastructure embarked upon by
the Commission would be of immense benefit to the country, especially with the
roll out of the 5G technology which is currently being tested in about forty
(40) countries.
“This will be a significant
upgrade for networks and will be the backbone for the future ICT industry
post-pandemic recovery.
The event had the theme,
‘Innovating in Critical Times” which the EVC said he found very relevant in
view of the numerous challenges that the pandemic has thrown at national
Governments, the ICT community and the health sector in particular.
He emphasized that nations that
plan to succeed must have well-articulated policies in place to ensure the
safety and security of its citizens.
The EVC, however, acknowledged
that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the frailties of even the most advanced
nations.
“Together with our stakeholders
from the banking sector, the NCC is actively involved in the application of
various electronic portals that continue to drive transactions off the banking
floor and onto handheld devices or personal computers.
“The NCC, through its
interventions, has continued to lift the Nigerian economy and create momentum
and hope for financial inclusion based on the seamless implementation of the
Commission’s Strategic Vision Plan.
“It is pertinent, at this
juncture, to note that NCC’s Emergency Communication Centers (ECC) have been
crucial in the Federal Government’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, with
over 1,209 COVID-19-related calls made between March and June 2020 from the
nineteen (19) ECCs across the country. The establishment of the ECCs by the
Commission across the nation was borne out of the need to safeguard all
Nigerians irrespective of their geographical locations.
“The Nigerian Government, through the Federal
Ministry of Health, has been putting measures in place to ensure the
Coronavirus disease is controlled and quickly contained.
“Nigeria’s multi-sectoral
Coronavirus Preparedness Group led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
(NCDC) activated its national Emergency Operations Centre and swiftly swung
into action with State governments to contain the spread of the outbreak around
the country.
“There are lessons to be learnt
from the current pandemic, the most important of which is the need to continue
to invest in infrastructure development in critical sectors of the economy,
particularly the ICT sector, which has become the bastion of modern economies.
“We hope to reap the rewards of
the Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) in the coming years and provide Nigerians the
comfort of new innovations and new ways of living.
“This would imply that broadband
penetration would be improved significantly through deliberate facilitation of
investment in fibre infrastructure, QoS will be assured, available spectrum
would be optimized with full benefits, there would be more investment
opportunities in the industry, there will be access to strategic collaboration
and partnerships, consumers would be fully protected and empowered, there will
be fair competition and inclusive growth.”
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