TheCable

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says the power shortage in the country is a major challenge in deploying the fifth-generation network technology (5G).

Bako Wakil, NCC’s director of technical standards and network integrity, was speaking on Thursday during a session at the ongoing social media week in Lagos.

The session gathered panellists to discuss the 5G the benefits and challenges ahead of 5G deployment in the country.

Wakil said fibre infrastructure and stable electricity are critical to 5G deployment adding that the use of generators as the power source in base stations won’t be sustainable when running 5G technology.

“Shortages in power infrastructure will be a major challenge in 5G deployment. We don’t have consistent power supply across the country. In a 5G network, the cells are going to be deployed every 50 and 100 metres,” he said.

“Today, all the base stations in Nigeria are working 24/7 on a generator. How can you deploy a generator to service these cells in every 50 to 100 metres around . It’s just not going to be possible.

“Of course, solar can help. We have alternative power sources like inverters. But the question is, in the Nigerian environment, how do we secure those solar cells and inverter batteries across the country.

“Unfortunately, the experience we have today is that a lot of these are being stolen away. Power is an entirely different ball game. We hope that relevant organizations will deal with the power issue.”

NCC had earlier revealed plans to initiate a partnership with Facebook, towards expanding the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and boosting connectivity.

On telecom fibres, Wakil said NCC is working towards ensuring that each local government area in the country has at least 10 gigabytes capacity of fibre connected over the next four years as part of the national broadband plan.