Regulator of the telecoms sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has expressed concern over safety fears raised by the aviation industry in the United States (US) over the rollout of the fifth generation (5G) technology in the country.

Two American carriers, Verizon and AT&T, had announced that they will temporarily limit 5G service around some airports in the wake of airlines’ warnings about “catastrophic” disruption from the rollout.

Nigeria is at the threshold of deploying the technology having concluded the bid for the 3.5gigahertz (GHz) spectrum that will be used to deploy the technology in the country in December last year.

The CEO of NCC, Prof Garba Danbatta, in an exclusive electronic chat with The Nation at the weekend, said the Commission was studying the situation with a view to putting measures in place to avert ‘catastrophic’ disruption.

“Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) to other services that may arise from roll out of 5G services is a source of concern to the global telecommunications community, including Nigeria. We (the NCC) are studying the situation closely and would put measures in place, consistent with global best practice, to ensure Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) of 5G services with other services,” Danbatta explained in the e-chat.

But telecom operators in Nigeria at the weekend dismissed as baseless, fears expressed by the US aviation authorities.

The operators say the noise was part of the conspiracy theory that has dogged the introduction of the technology.

Both the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) say the rollout of the technology in the country should go on as scheduled.

Chairman, ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said there is yet to be any empirical evidence to validate the fears being raised about the technology and safety issues in the aviation sector.

“There is no scientifically proven report(s) to that effect. These are considered at this stage as part of the general conspiracy theory against 5G.

“We are convinced, based on empirical reports, that there is no interference with aviation navigation systems with 5G technology mobile phone services,” Adebayo explained in a mailed response to media enquiries.

ATCON President, Ikechukwu Nnamani, said the US situation should not be used as a basis to generalize the impact of the technology.

Nnamani, who is the CEO of Medallion Communication, stated that 5G is a technology that has been operationslised in no fewer than 40 countries across the world.

Source: The Nation Online