– Ashimolowo argues 5G has no evil agenda
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has debunked the allegations that federal government has approved and installed the Fifth Generation Mobile Networks (5G) in Nigeria.
The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami disclosed this in a statement in Abuja during the weekend stating that the allegations are baseless adding that government will only arrive at a conclusion after all necessary considerations have been made particularly the health implications to citizens.
Pantami added that President Muhammadu Buhari places a premium on the welfare, health and security of Nigerians, and as such, our desire for technological advancement will never be at the expense of the health and welfare of our citizens.
He assured that government will not act on the speculations only, but rather we will take an informed decision on 5G after due consultation with experts and the public adding that he has also directed the NCC to engage citizens on any questions or concerns they may have regarding 5G.
“The attention of my office has been drawn to the public concern about the health implications of the deployment of Fifth Generation Mobile Networks (5G) in Nigeria. Based on available records at my office and the earlier report received from the regulator, I would like to clarify as follows:
“The National Frequency Management Council
(NFMC), of which I am the Chairman, has not deliberated on or released any bulk
frequency spectrum for the deployment of 5G.
No license has been issued for the deployment of 5G in the country,
and a 3-month study trial commenced on the 25th of November, 2019 in order to
critically review and study the health and security implications of deploying
5G in Nigeria.
“As part of the study trial process, I directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to ensure that a team of experts, security agencies and other stakeholders fully participate in the trial process and my office also invited these agencies to participate in the trial; and the trial process has been concluded and the study and reporting process is currently ongoing.
“I wish to thank the general public for reaching out to us on this issue. We advise you all to remain rest assured that government will always take the welfare, health and security of the public into account while considering the deployment of any technology”, the minister said.
Meanwhile, the UK-based Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo has distanced himself from the claims that the invention of the 5G network has a connection with the Coronavirus pandemics that has been threatening the world for a couple of weeks adding that the innovation has no link to the anti-Christ in the Bible.
Ashimolowo stated that the new technological advancement is rather a progress to the globe and without ugly implications particularly on health and life generally, and urged people to follow the directives put in place by governments toward curbing the pandemics.
In related development, a group of scientists have discredited the allegations that 5G technology helps to transmit coronavirus. According to a report from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), an global renowned agency, there was no evidence that mobile networks cause cancer or other illnesses.
According to Wikipedia,5G is the fifth generation of wireless communications technologies supporting cellular data networks. 5G low-band offers similar capacity to advanced 4G Large scale adoption began in 2019 and today virtually every telecommunication service provider in the developed world is upgrading its infrastructure to offer 5G functionality. 5G communication requires the use of communications devices (mostly mobile phones) designed to support the technology.
The frequency spectrum of 5G is divided into millimeter waves, mid-band, and low-band. Low-band uses a similar frequency range as the predecessor, 4G. 5G millimeter wave is the fastest, with actual speeds often being 1–2 Gbit/s down. Frequencies are above 24 GHz reaching up to 72 GHz which is above the extremely high frequency band’s lower boundary. The reach is short, so more cells are required. Millimeter waves have difficulty traversing many walls and windows, so indoor coverage is limited.
5G mid-band is the most widely deployed, in over 30 networks. Speeds in a 100 MHz wide band are usually 100–400 Mbit/s down. In the lab and occasionally in the field, speeds can go over a gigabit per second. Frequencies deployed are from 2.4 GHz to 4.2 GHz. Sprint and China Mobile are using 2.5 GHz, while others are mostly between 3.3 and 4.2 GHz. Many areas can be covered simply by upgrading existing towers, which lowers the cost. Mid-band networks have better reach, bringing the cost close to the cost of 4G.