NCC Prepares Nigeria For The Internet Of Things

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is anticipating the connection of all things, including cars, smart homes, with their lightings, heaters and fridges to the internet with the launch of the 5G network.

Data released recently by the NCC describes the 5th generation mobile network as a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.

The NCC analysis on how the new technology will impact points out that 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.

While labeling it as the future, 5G wireless technology has also been identified as capable of delivering higher data speeds, ultra-low latency, more reliability, massive network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more users.

It has the potential to provide 20 times faster data speeds and carries a massive amount of data for a large number of simultaneous users.

So users in high-density areas – like airports, stadiums or urban areas – can still experience the fast speeds and low latency of 5G service. The NCC believes the technology will improve users experience.

As the world replaces more and more household items with ‘smart devices’ that connect to the internet, also known as the Internet of Things, NCC says this network capacity will be critical. “5G will potentially be able to handle more than 2.5 million connected devices per square mile. 5G is a transformational change from 4G.”

The regulatory agency which only recently set up a committee to engage stakeholders on how to deploy the technology has said, “5G will enhance technological development because of the extremely fast transfer rate of large quantities of data.

“Overall, it enables interconnected devices for instant communication. This is a new connected world of ‘Smart cities’ made possible by 5G networks.”

According to NCC documents, “5G is extremely fast: it supports data transfer rates of up to 20Gbit/s, if supported by robust fibre infrastructure. On top of that, wireless data delays drop to one millisecond.

“This opens up the potential for multiple driverless cars, where large quantities of potentially lifesaving data have to be transferred almost instantaneously.”