The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that the State is now closer to realising its dream of becoming a smart city with the deployment of 5G technology in the state.
The Governor stated this on Thursday at the Lagos launch of the 5G network by MAFAB Communications (Mcom).
Speaking at the launch, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the State’s Commissioner for Science and Technology, Akeem Fahm, said the overall objective of the administration is to harness technology to enhance and empower the residents and investors in Lagos to achieve the transformation of Lagos State into a smart City Hub in Africa.
The 5G opportunity: Expressing the confidence that the 5G technology will bolster the government’s efforts in the smart city drive, the Governor said:
“I am now very optimistic that we will achieve resounding success because the opportunity that the Mcom5G network represents has met our preparedness part of which is the country’s technology hub found in the Yaba district of Lagos, which when completed will be our own African Silicon Valley.”
The Governor noted that Mcom, though relatively new in the telecommunications industry, has recorded a milestone achievement in the tech space through 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 such, its capabilities exceed 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 the next-level technology, fills me with high hopes for the future of the different sectors of our economy, most especially the Security sector,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.
Mcom which is rolling out a 5G network in 6 cities across the country in the first phase of its rollout obligation, including Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, and Port-Harcourt, landed in Lagos after a launch in Abuja on Tuesday.
5G in Nigeria: Highlighting the impacts the 5G technology will have on Nigeria as a country, the Chairman of MAFAB Communications, Dr Mushabu Bashir, said:
“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 re-telling that the 5G network will usher into this country a wide array of business opportunities, wherein various business outfits will expand their frontiers with operational ease and speed, especially in the fields of education, medical sciences, engineering, security, businesses like the banking sector, SMEs, smart cities, transportation, entertainment, etc., and allow Nigerians meet the long-term goal of ensuring that everybody is connected.”
MAFAB was issued the 5G licence alongside MTN in December 2021 as the first 2 companies to deploy the technology in Nigeria. Airtel also secured the licence in December 2022 to become the 3rd operator and the company is also expected to roll out the service this year.
