Joseph Bakare
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that Nigeria is set to join the league of countries already utilizing part of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi -6 applications.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC)/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, while addressing the Annual Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Emerging Technologies in Lagos on September 19, 2024, however noted that in line with global best practices, the Agency believes that actions by the telecom sector must be guided by decisions that take into cognizance the inputs from all stakeholders in the industry.
Represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Engr. Abraham Oshadami, Maida, explained that the 6GHz band, spanning from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz, offers a substantial increase in available spectrum, which is crucial for supporting the growing demand for high-speed internet and advanced applications Wi-Fi plays a crucial role in the distribution of fixed broadband connectivity in homes, offices, and various other environments.
According to him, the vast majority of home internet traffic is connected to the end-user through Wi-Fi.
In addition he said that in enterprise settings, Wi-Fi is essential for handling large amounts of data and simultaneously connecting large numbers of devices with improved reliability, higher data throughput, and lower latencies.
However, the 5GHz and 2.4GHz that are being used for Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5) at the moment are becoming overwhelmed due to an increase in demand for capacity, said the EVC, adding “It is, therefore, imperative to identify other frequency bands to complement the 5GHz and 2.4GHz.”
The recently concluded 2023 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-23) allocated the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi and IMT applications with different recommendations on how to use the band.
This was the outcome of a long study cycle process leading to the decision at the WRC-2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He said the occasion is an opportunity to present to stakeholders the regulators thoughts and recommendations on the use of the Spectrum band to get their feedback for informed decision-making.