There is currently a major shift taking place in the way individuals, organizations and businesses can collect real-time information about their operational activities using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning based on real concrete work processes such as the tasks performed by workers in manufacturing industries or, for example, precise real time customer numbers in service areas in hospitality industries. Collecting this data requires data collection orchestration at the edge of the network, where the work tasks are actually performed.
To collect data in real time and at scale, reliable and scalable network connectivity is needed to enable a massive number of sensors to collect data. This infrastructure cannot be cost-effectively and reliably implemented using, for example, wifi connections or fixed wireless networks.
A major shift in the use of network connectivity is based on the automatic collection of information from enterprise processes, for example through the extensive use of latest computer vision technology. This will create unprecedented competitiveness for companies, the possibility to optimise processes in a way that significantly reduces costs and thus enable new revenue to be generated based on a competitive advantage over others in the industry.
Currently, there are high expectations for generative AI technology and it is indeed a major breakthrough in terms of increasing the cost-efficiency of businesses on a large scale. This is not just limited to improving software development and customer service, but more broadly to the new cost-efficiency of business operations, which will redistribute the capabilities of existing players between those who react quickly and thrive and those who are unable to transform themselves and will exit the industry.
That Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs are necessary for a fully functional and efficient 5G network as conventional 4G networks with all-IP (Internet Protocol) broadband connectivity are reactive, which results in low spectrum utilization.
Furthermore, 5G networks will be essential to fully implementing the Internet of Things (loTs) that connects computing resources such as sensors, automobiles, and wearable gadgets with people.
The 5G network will help to enhance economic transformation; continually drives initiatives that accelerate digital infrastructure deployment in Nigeria. Through this effort, telecommunication companies that bid for the 5G spectrum licenses in one of the most remarkable and successful auctions in Africa will be the ones to scale up the deployment of the infrastructure that will drive 5G in Nigeria.
5G is the fifth generation (that’s what the “G” stands for) of wireless technology. Broadly, the first generation of mobile technology, 1G, was about voice-the ability to use a phone in a car, or away from home. 2G introduced a short-messaging layer. 3G provided the core network speeds needed to launch the first smartphones. And 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution), with its data transfer rates, gave us access to mobile video with low buffering and gave rise to many of the connected devices and location services that we rely on and enjoy today.
Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband (available with select plans) offers speeds up to 10 times faster than the median Verizon 4G LTE speeds – and that opens the door to a whole new world of game-changing possibilities. 5G download speeds are a significant improvement over previous generations. You can download movie in a minute, you can get audio and video in HD, you can experience console-quality gaming on the go. You can also, stream, share, post and work in public settings without being slow down by everyone around you when connecting.
5G can provide high speeds, low latency and massive capacity, offering the potential to change what you experience with your mobile devices, and much more.
5G will help to revolutionize industries and can provide immediate impact for customers. 5G could help make businesses more efficient and give consumers access to more information faster than ever before. It can help enable connected cars and lead to new experiences at stadiums when watching football. It could allow students to experience invigorate and support artificial intelligence (AI) in public safety.
With high speed, low latency and massive capacity, 5G Ultra Wideband could help usher in a new era of connection, enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) in exciting new ways.
Verizon has mobile edge computing partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and a planned collaboration with Google Cloud, combining Verizon’s award-winning 5G network with industry-leading cloud expertise. These relationships can enable developers and enterprise customers to create large-scale, latency-sensitive applications using edge computing resources, which move data processing closer to the edge of the network for even faster response times.
That means a more responsive “Internet of Things” as well as amazing new uses for augmented reality, transformation in the supply chain, better cloud gaming and more. And for enterprises looking to capture the same advantages, Enterprise Intelligence can help bring together private 5G networks and Verizon 5G Edge to help drive better business outcomes.
Verizon has also been undergoing a massive network transformation for years, positioning us to drive this new technology revolution. In addition to using our industry leading spectrum position and our extensive, advanced fiber optic footprint, which underpins our mobile network, a huge part of that network transformation is using advanced technologies in our network.
One of those technologies is network virtualization, which is critical for advanced operations and services that require a programmable network. Many key 5G use cases heavily rely on the programmability of virtualized network.
The future of 5G is inexhaustible. 5G will revolutionize the telecom industry in the near future especially in education, healthcare, finance, mining, gaming etc. The “5G technology would enable the consumer to have multiple devices connected to the internet.” The 5G network would enable advanced technology, most especially in areas with high concentration of Organizations leveraging technology and high data usage.
The innovation is a greater enabler, especially as the world is moving towards the era of the internet of things (IoT). “We are getting to an era where even our household appliances become connected to the internet, 5G will enable that.” When we talk about Smart Cities, Smart Homes, and having Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras around the nation, all these can be 5G-enabled.
“The 5G Technology is for faster speed, better communication between devices, users, faster upload of data, smart-city enabled. This will enable devices connected to the cloud and faster broadband speed to allow more devices on the network.
Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, says it will cost about $2bn to lay an adequate network of fibre optics cables across Nigeria to enable an efficient deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) technology. Also said, 5G technology has been deployed and is in use in spots and dots across Nigeria and that the roll out is slowly but surely expanding.
Tijani however, observed that the infrastructure that supports the advanced technology is not everywhere in the country.
He said it would cost about $2bn to sufficiently wire Nigeria with a fibre optic cable network required for the seamless experience of the 5G network.
5G Technology is particularly significant for developing countries because it has the capacity to speed up progression, inclusion and development in education and healthcare services through virtual digital enablement.
It also delivers efficient and real-time connectivity and verification interfaces for financial transactions, locally and globally and has been proven to facilitate business in the gaming industry. “The infrastructure that drives 5G is not something that is across the nation.”
“So, if you are subscribed to 5G and you move into locations where the infrastructure cannot support it, of course, the quality will drop. 5G exists in Nigeria and there are telcos with the licence,” The government is doing everything possible to increase the deployment of fibre optics cables in Nigeria.
“We are about 35 to 40 kilometres right now and the goal is to go to 95,000 km.” “It’s going to cost us roughly about $1.5bn to $2bn to wire the entirety of Nigeria.”
The minister hoped that under his leadership, the ministry would in the first four years of the President Bola Tinubu administration; achieve the aspiration of wiring Nigeria.
He said the current government wants to connect schools, hospitals, government offices and other vital places with fibre cables. “Because once we can do this, we start to see changes in the delivery of public services.”
Tijani said he is working on declaring telecoms infrastructure as critical national assets to prevent the vandalism.
In conclusion, the potential economic benefits of 5G in Nigeria are not far-fetched and its rollout will necessitate significant investments in infrastructure that would translate into job creation and innovation across various sectors, including construction, telecommunications, and technology. The advantages of 5G technologies with regard to enhancing connectivity, improving healthcare, supporting education, fostering smart cities and boosting agriculture are well known. It will also support security institutions with real time communications. All stakeholders should ensure that everybody whether in the urban or rural areas has access to 5G network or communication.
