By Miriam Humbe
The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida has said that it is has become necessary to identify other frequency bands to complement the 5GHz and 2.4GHz.
Dr. Aminu Maida said this in a speech at the Annual Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Emerging Technologies held in Lagos.
The NCC EVC was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Engr. Abraham Oshadami.
Maida explained that the 5GHz and 2.4GHz that are being used for Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5) at the moment are becoming overwhelmed due to an increase in demand for capacity.
He said that the recently concluded 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23) allocated the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi and IMT applications with different recommendations on how to use the band.
The NCC boss said this was the outcome of a long study cycle process leading to the decision at the WRC-2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
While welcoming the participants, Dr Maida said: “Today, we present to you our thoughts and recommendations on the use of the Spectrum band to get your feedback for informed decision-making.”
Humsimedia Online gathered that with the historic event, Nigeria was set to join the league of countries already utilizing part of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi -6 applications.
Dr. Aminu Maida said: “I am particularly glad to be associated with this process because when the Government of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR brought us on board in the year 2023, we took a decision to reposition the Commission on a path that will ensure the uptake of opportunities through our strategic focus areas which is driven by the recognition that each of our stakeholders whether it is our Licensees & Industry operators , Consumers or Government maintains unique perspective and have certain expectations of as the Commission.
“Therefore, to accomplish our objectives in driving our strategic goals, the Commission identified some key factors, which include people, collaboration data, compliance, and Digitalization.
“Guided by our actions in the right direction and, of course, that of the Federal Government through the Ministers Strategic Blueprint cantered around knowledge policies, infrastructure, innovation, entrepreneurship and Capital as well Trade, we have been able to set the ball rolling to enhance telecommunication service delivery in Nigeria.
“In line with one of the key factors on collaboration as outlined in our focus areas and the Commission’s traditionally institutionalized policy of participatory regulation and the practice of industry-wide consultations in conducting its regulatory functions, we are here again to elicit your comments and inputs on the use of the 6GHz for Wi-Fi – 6 and International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT).
“In line with global best practices, we sincerely believe that our actions must be guided by decisions that take into cognizance the inputs from all stakeholders in the industry.
“The 6GHz band, spanning from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz, offers a substantial increase in available spectrum, which is crucial for supporting the growing demand for high-speed internet and advanced applications Wi-Fi plays a crucial role in the distribution of fixed broadband connectivity in homes, offices, and various other environments.
“The vast majority of home internet traffic is connected to the end-user through Wi-Fi.
“In enterprise settings, Wi-Fi is essential for handling large amounts of data and simultaneously connecting large numbers of devices with improved reliability, higher data throughput, and lower latencies.”
