The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again debunked insinuations that the deployment of 5G technology has health and safety implications.
The Executive Vice-Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta at the capacity building programme for members of Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) at the Digital Bridge Institute, Abuja on Tuesday said 5G’s full economic effect will likely be realized across the globe by 2035, supporting a wide range of industries and potentially enabling up to $13.2 trillion worth of goods and services.
He noted that the impact will be much greater than the current 4G network.
His words, “5G, when fully deployed will provide increased speed and bandwidth as well as provide deeper coverage to reach people in rural or challenging locations. In addition, 5G will provide strong security for the various sectors of government and private organizations”.
“Due to its sheer scale and scope, the ITU predicts 5G will accelerate the achievements of all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) from affordable and clean energy to zero hunger.
“The misinformation/
Danbatta further disclosed that many Nigerians including citizens in more civilized countries were hooked on the notion that the introduction of 5G technology was the reason behind the spread of the novel COVID-19 Pandemic.
This misconception, he, reiterated was even made worse because those saddled with the responsibility of informing, educating and enlightening the average Nigerian telecom consumers were also bereft of the knowledge of this new technology and hitched a ride on the band wagon of doubters.
He emphasized that this is the reason why training such as this is necessary for members of NITRA whom he said have continued to cover the ICT industry in Nigeria.
“We will ensure that the NCC maintains this training periodically for our crucial stakeholders in the media to ensure that the information that reaches the average Nigerian is accurate and timely.It is our duty and responsibility to ensure that whatever we want to introduce to the Nigerian telecoms space is well understood by Nigerians and all those who make use of our telecoms services.”
He noted that the onus was on all of “us here today to make sure that we take this training seriously and take advantage of it to expand on our horizons”, stressing that this was very necessary so that when they report events or activities relating to the industry, they are able to translate them into a language that the common man will readily understand.
The NCC chairman promised that the Commission would continue to support capacity building and other initiatives which foster closer interaction and build stronger relationship with your members.
He enjoined them to continue to be objective in their reportage to ensure that all our stakeholders benefit from the knowledge they would acquire during the training programme.
