The Nigerian tech news platform, TechNext, recently hosted a Twitter roundtable to discuss the future of communications in Nigeria as regards the futuristic 5G network.
Moderated by Omoleye Omoruyi, Editor, TechNext — the roundtable hosted Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria; Kehinda Joda, Head of Corporate Services, FiberOne Broadband, and Usman Haruna, Correspondent, Naija News.
According to Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, here’s what Nigerians should know as MTN rolls out its 5G spectrum in 2022.
What is 5G?
5G is lots of excitement and revolution. 5G makes the internet better — three elements to remember are; speed which multiplies everything by 100, latency which eliminates lag and network fluctuations, and capacity, which allows more people to have a fantastic experience on the internet.
What are the benefits of 5G?
5G is essentially a figurative bullet train, it is going to stretch all our imaginations in terms of what it can do. Work collaborations will be greatly enhanced, education will be better experienced, entertainment will move beyond 3D, gaming will have fewer lag, and commercial activities will be revolutionized.
What are some of the shortfalls of 5G?
There are always compatibility requirements in order to access the 5G level of service. Not all phones will be able to use 5G, and eventually people will have to upgrade their gadgets to be able to enjoy the full range of the service.
Is 5G safe?
5G is as safe as any previous mobile phone technology that we’ve had in the past.
Will 5G affect data costs?
5G enables a more efficient use of time on the internet, the less time spent to achieve tasks, the more data is consumed. Essentially, it’s not that data consumption is driving costs up, it’s that more volume of data is being used to reduce time wastage. 5G will not be priced higher than the current services, but overtime steps will be taken to control data spend.
Following its winning bid to acquire one of the two 100MHZ spectrum licences in the 3.5GHz spectrum band auctioned by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Adia has confirmed that MTN 5G will be launched in August, 2022.
