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By Emmanuel Fagbenle
For Nigeria and other developing economies seeking rapid development across sectors, the deployment of 5G technology will be both strategic and overwhelmingly beneficial, Nigerian electronics engineers have affirmed in a recent Zoom meeting on ‘Expert Insights on 5G Concerns.’
They want Nigerian government to quickly provide the framework for launch of the 5G technology in order to enable speedy development of the country.
While dismissing health apprehensions raised in several conspiracy theories, the engineers, under their umbrella body: Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE), said 5G holds much prospects to advance the medical fields and other sectors for the benefit of humanity.
Nigeria must not delay or falter in deploying the technology, the engineers said and charged government to create the enabling policy frameworks that will encourage investors to look at that direction.
The 5G technology offers new opportunities to expand services and improved national economies; and underscore why many countries are already deploying it, said National Chairman, NIEEE, Kings Adeyemi.
Vodacom recently launched 5G services in South Africa to ignite Africa’s entry into the fifth generation of mobile telephony network. MTN similarly planned to join the fray in South Africa.
MTN Nigeria had carried a test run of 5G in Nigeria last year in Abuja and awaits approval of Nigerian authorities to launch service in its largest market on the continent.
Adeyemi at the Zoom meeting said insinuation that 5G caused COVID-19 was laughable.
His words: “I must say that coronavirus are not transmitted by Base Transceiver Station (BTS). 5G signals are not bio-agent, and that EMF for 5G network cannot transmit viruses. Lots of misinformation are out there that must be corrected if we are to move forward as a country.”
There is an urgent need for government to provide the roadmap for the development and deployment of 5G in Nigeria as 2025 will be a major landmark for the technology globally; warning that: “Countries, which failed to prepare for this generation of technology may not be compatible with developments from other countries of the world.”
While kickstarting talks at the meeting, Adeyemi warned against eroding confidence in Nigeria’s technology ecosystem and investment by unwholesome reliance on “unscientific and unsubstantiated conspiracies against 5G by government functionaries.
His words: “This meeting has become imperative to hold in view of what is going on in the country, especially the call by the Senate on the Federal Government to suspend 5G deployment. It has become obvious that the NASS [National Assembly]are in need of knowledge and sensitization on the technology.”
