The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has stated that the deployment of 5G technology in the state has brought the state closer to realizing its dream of becoming a smart city.
The Governor made the remarks on Thursday at the launch of MAFAB Communications’ 5G network in Lagos (Mcom).
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented at the launch by the State’s Commissioner for Science and Technology, Akeem Fahm, stated that the administration’s overall goal is to harness technology to enhance and empower Lagos residents and investors in order to transform Lagos State into a smart City Hub in Africa.
The Potential of 5G: The Governor expressed confidence that 5G technology will help the government’s efforts in the smart city drive, saying:
“I am now very optimistic that we will achieve resounding success because the opportunity that the Mcom5G network represents has met our preparedness, a component of which is the country’s technology hub located in the Yaba district of Lagos, which, when completed, will be our own African Silicon Valley.”
The Governor noted that Mcom, despite its relative youth in the telecommunications industry, has achieved a technological milestone with the launch of the 5G Network.
“I want to commend the management of MAFAB Communications for working hard to deliver this next-level technology that outguns the 4G network by a very wide margin. As a result, its capabilities outperform expectations.
“It is a fact that the contribution of the telecommunications industry has been a significant economic driver for Lagos State in particular and Nigeria as a whole, contributing more than $70 Billion and helping to create over half a million jobs. “The prospects of what we can accomplish with the 5G network, which is next-generation technology, fill me with high hopes for the future of our economy’s various sectors, particularly the security sector,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.
Mcom, which is launching a 5G network in six cities across the country in the first phase of its obligation, including Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, and Port-Harcourt, has arrived in Lagos following a launch in Abuja on Tuesday.
5G in Nigeria: Dr Mushabu Bashir, Chairman of MAFAB Communications, highlighted the implications of 5G technology for Nigeria as a country, saying:
“Putting things in proper perspective; Mcom will play a major role in advancing new technologies that will push Nigeria beyond just being a consumer of technology but a country playing an active role in developing and implementing new technologies.
“It will also enable our country to take its position as a global technology hub in Africa and the world at large. You may have heard it before, but it bears repeating that the 5G network will usher in a plethora of business opportunities into this country, where various business outfits will expand their frontiers with operational ease and speed, particularly in the fields of education, medical sciences, engineering, security, businesses such as the banking sector, SMEs, smart cities, transportation, entertainment, and so on, and allow Nigerians to meet the long-term goal of ensuring that everybody is connected”
MAFAB and MTN were granted 5G licenses in December 2021, making them the first two companies in Nigeria to deploy the technology. Airtel also obtained the license in December 2022 to become the third operator, and the service is expected to be launched this year.
