The Federal Government has assured that the deployment of the Five Generation (5G) network is in the works.
Disclosing this was the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, on Sunday in Abuja in an interview with the News Agnency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that the deployment had been delayed due to COVID-19 related issues including the false stories surrounding the network.
Pantami said that the government took a step back for further consultation and to create more awareness and “engage our citizens”.
He said, “Our government is a listening one; so we listen to constructive criticisms, respect it and appreciate it and at least we value it.
“We’d reached advanced stage of 5G, then, an issue came up that 5G was related to COVID-19; many people including the educated ones started circulating it without verification.
“Naturally, people are a bit scared and sceptical about technology.
“So we gave enough time to do more consultation, creating awareness in local languages so as to engage our citizens to address all the challenges.
“We set up a technical team that accommodated security, health and environmental institutions and the public sector so that we can be on the same page.
“I want to give you the assurance that 5G communication network is in the pipeline.
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“From that spectrum, NCC will give it to mobile operators to start deployment; so, the policy is almost ready.
“I went to the National Assembly, I defended our presentation and they have accepted and they have also endorsed the deployment of 5G.
“They have also encouraged us to learn from other countries that have deployed 5G and we have already done that.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a statement that there is no relationship between 5G network and COVID-19 and that addresses the health issue.
“Similarly, the International Communications Union (ICU), which is an arm of the UN, also issued another statement debunking any implications from the 5G.”
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