From all indications, it has become glaring that Nigeria would not be benefitting from the $13.2 trillion projected revenue from 5G deployment by 2035.
However, it is expected that seven countries would be sharing 79 per cent of the $13 trillion which non-African country is among, while early adopters would share the remaining 21 per cent.
An ICT and Telecoms expert, Chief Martin Nwoga said this during an interview with Tribune Online shortly after the training of Internal Stakeholders and Journalists Covering the Communication and Digital Economy Sector organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
He said the experts proposed through NCC and Ministry of communications and digital economy that Nigeria become an early adopter of 5G so as to be able to benefit from the $13.2 trillion.
He said if Nigeria becomes an early adopter of 5G, it could benefit from the remaining 21 per cent projected revenue.
“The clarity I threw was that by 2035, it is assumed that $13 trillion will be sales figure attributable to 5G as well as 22 million jobs, what I’m saying is that 7 countries or 79 per cent will be representative of that money.
“So, Nigeria is not part of those seven countries neither is any other country in Africa, so the seven countries will take 79% of that $13trn. Nigeria becoming an early adaptor means that we can get on board and get a good share of the remaining 21 percent.
“So what is happening is that the ministry of communications and digital economy and the NCC have promulgated the policies enabling the 5G Spectrum to be auction sold and utilized in Nigeria,” he said.
He said what needs to happen is that the other Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) need to come to the table as well and make sure they take advantage of the technologies to enable their own environments.
“Now while Telecom Companies as a segment is contributing almost 12.7 per cent in the first half-year of 2020 and a lot of the other segments are going down.
“Telecom Companies can support the other MDAs is to increase the GDP across Nigeria, so the benefits across the whole 17 SDGs can be felt. So we need to be an early adopter to take advantage of Telco and 5G for those 17 SDGs so that Nigeria can become a better place in itself and for citizens.”
On the implication for missing out of the $13trn 5G benefit, he said Nigeria will become a consumer nation “investment will become investment just such that they recoup their money, it’ll be no real value to the citizens of Nigeria itself,” he added.
Furthermore, he said “we must be an early adopter so that we participate in the promulgation of those policies, procedures and implementation of those technologies, so that sometimes we also gain from the implementation of the technologies, if not, we’ll be just an errant consumer of technology.
“From the regulatory element extremely, we’re ready, but from the MDAs were not ready, we need a lot more of what is happening today, which is we need socialization we need articulation of what 5G and Telco can do in the other MDAs so that I can be leveraged by the average Nigerian.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
ICYMI: Presidential Panel On Police Reforms Agrees To Meet All Demands By #EndSARS Protesters
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, has convened a meeting with stakeholders and has agreed to meet all demands raised by the #EndSARS protesters, which include halting use of force against protesters and unconditional release of arrested citizens.
ICYMI: Lagos To Compensate Victims Of #EndSARS Protest With N200m ― Sanwo-Olu
Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the state government has earmarked N200million as compensation for families of victims of #EndSars protest.