Nigeria will have widest 5G coverage in Africa in 2022, says Minister
The Nigerian Government has raised hope that, the country will have the widest 5G in Africa in 2022, as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) held a mock auction where all bidders participated through a bidding room after participating in an opening round.
Penpushing reports that, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami stated this at the auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (Ghz) spectrum on Monday in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Let us not forget that Nigeria has the largest digital economy in Africa, Nigeria has the largest telecommunications market in Africa, Nigeria has the largest internet subscribers in Africa, Nigeria has the largest broadband and we hope that by 2022, Nigeria will have the widest 5G coverage in Africa,” he said.
“It is because of this and looking at the general benefits of the 5G deployment globally, Nigeria as a country, being the giant of Africa, feels it is necessary for us to kickstart the process of 5G deployment”, Pantami added
Penpushing further reports that, he pointed out that, 5G technology can solve some of the security challenges in the country, since the technology provides real time services and platforms.
The commission fixed the price for the bid at N75 billion ($197.4 million), while three telecom firms are bidding for two slots approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC), after meeting all requirements for participating in the licensing process.
Penpushing also reports that, MTN Nigeria, Mafab Communications Ltd, and Airtel Networks Ltd, participated in the software-based simulated auction, using the Ascending Clock Auction System for the mock session.
Meanwhile, the State Security Services (SSS) was tasked with monitoring the representatives of the companies, who would not be allowed to leave the room until the process is over.
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