By Juliet Umeh
The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC has said that Nigeria’s digial economy demands robust, scalable and secure telecommunications infrastructure.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, disclosed this in his keynote address at West Africa Telecoms Infrastructure Summit and Exhibtion, WATISE, with the theme: ‘Shaping the future of the telecoms infrastructure industry: Trends and Insights for a Digital Economy’.
Maida who was represented at the event by the Head of Next Generation Technology and Standard at the NCC, Engr Victor Adoga, described telecommunications infrastructure as the backbone of the digital economy, facilitating seamless connectivity and supporting a range of services from basic voice calls to high-speed internet and cloud computing.
He said: “The rollout of 5G networks is a transformative trend in telecoms infrastructure. 5G promises significantly higher speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity, facilitating new applications such as IoT, nternet of Things, autonomous vehicles, smart cities and advanced augmented reality.”
He listed other emerging trends affecting the deployment of telecoms infrastructure across the region as Internet of Things, fiber optic expansion, data localisation and security, regulatory frameworks, cybersecurity and energy efficiency and sustainability.
He, however, suggested that the telecoms operators must take strategic actions to stay in business.
He also suggested that collaborations between government, industry, and academia can drive innovation and development.
He added that innovative financing models, investment in human capital, focus on sustainability, integration with AI and Machine Learning and developing smart infrastructure are crucial in investing in rural telecom infrastructure.
