The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has allayed fears of the citizens that the new Fifth Generation (5G) network has harmful effects on the health of the people.
The NCC’s Enugu Zonal Controller, Mr. Ogbonnaya Ugama, made the clarification during a roundtable discussion with participants from the Association of Heads of Federal Establishments, in Enugu on Saturday.
According to Ugama, there is no solid proof that electromagnetic radiation from gadgets like phones are damaging to human health.
He claimed that international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), have established a standard that there must be no convincing proof that 5G has harmful effects on both human and animal health.
The controller, however, advised users not to hold their electromagnetic devices such as mobile phones close to their body if they still have doubts.
“NCC will do everything possible to guarantee the safety of the citizenry and ensure that every equipment with set standards is approved.
Ugama reiterated the benefits of the 5G network saying that it was designed to increase speed, reduce latency and improve flexibility of wireless services.
“5G has theoretical peak speed of 20 Gigabytes per Second (GBPS) while the peak speed of 4G is only one GBPS.
“5G can transform the Nigeria’s economy, dwelling on its projected impact in sectors of education, finance, security, agriculture, healthcare, entertainment and even governance,” he said.
He revealed that Nigeria is the third African country to deploy the 5G network, adding that it is already active in six states, namely Lagos, Imo, Borno, Kano, Rivers, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
By 2025, according to Ugama, more states would be connected to the network.