NIGCOMSAT, NCC Sign MOU For Deployment Of 5G Services

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and The Nigerian Communications Satellite (NigComSat) on May 5, 2021, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the use of the C-band spectrum for Fifth Generation Network (5G) services in Nigeria at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja the Nation’s capital.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, explained that “Amongst the Frequency Spectrum bands allocated to 5G by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the C-band (3.4GHz – 3.9GHz stands out because its balancing point between coverage and capacity provides the perfect environment for 5G connectivity.

He also mentioned that “The C-band is most suitable and appropriate for immediate deployment of 5G services taking into consideration availability of device ecosystem with 60-70 per cent of global commercial 5G network deployment currently in the band; thus the importance of this Spectrum for early deployment of 5G services in Nigeria cannot be overemphasised.”

Professor Danbatta revealed that the two agencies have been discussing how to relocate the operations of NG-1R to the standard C-band 300MHz (3.9GHz – 4.2GHz) potion of the band, which is more suitable in terms of Satellite service offering because the end-user terminal is cheaper there while leaving the non-standard C-band 400MHz (3.5GHz – 3.9GHz) portion of the band for 5G use.