According to the Nigerian government, the asking price for a 5G spectrum slot will begin at US$ 2.6 billion and would likely rise to US$ 3.4 billion after the auction process. The abovementioned comes after the country’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, recently said that the federal government would soon construct a 5G network to improve connectivity. Pantami indicated that the decision to implement 5G network in the country was reached after thorough testing, investigations, and research determined that it did not pose a security or health risk.
He noted that the national 5G policy is 95 per cent complete and will promptly be submitted to the federal executive council (FEC). Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the executive vice-chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), told the Senate Committee on Communications at a public hearing of the Senate recently that “it is imperative to stress that, a reserve price for a slot of the 5G spectrum is going to be US$ 2.6 billion, but after an auction by the Committee, it can go as high as US$ 3.4 billion.”
Prof. Danbatta states that the 5G auction committee has nearly completed their work with the 5G deployment plan presented to the federal government and that the telecom regulatory body is simply waiting for the government to issue a go-ahead order. He also stated that 5G deployment in Nigeria would begin next year, with plans and preparations currently in place.
5G mobile technology is a step forward from existing 4G technology, and it is already in use in China, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand.
