The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it has made a significant move to harness the 6GHz spectrum’s potential for enhanced Wi-Fi to address Nigeria’s growing broadband needs.

The NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, disclosed this during a Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Emerging Technologies in Lagos on Thursday, September 19, 2024.

Maida, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner of Technical Services at NCC, Abraham Oshadami, said the move would address the growing demand for high-speed internet.

He said the current 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands are facing capacity constraints.

Maida stated that Nigeria would be joining the league of countries already utilising part of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi 6 applications.

The NCC boss said: “The 6GHz band, spanning from 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz, offers a substantial increase in available spectrum, which is crucial for supporting the growing demand for high-speed internet and advanced applications.

NCC orders telecom operators to reduce tariff plans, bundles

“Wi-Fi plays a crucial role in the distribution of fixed broadband connectivity in homes, offices, and various other environments.

“The vast majority of home internet traffic is connected to the end-user through Wi-Fi.

“In enterprise settings, Wi-Fi is essential for handling large amounts of data and simultaneously connecting large numbers of devices with improved reliability, higher data throughput and lower latencies.”

Also speaking at the event, the Head of Spectrum Administration at NCC, Atiku Lawal, said the overcrowded airwaves were currently limiting the potential of Wi-Fi in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Lawal added that it was not a surprise that more than 70 countries had already acted, or were considering acting on opening the 6GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use.

The NCC official stated: “Depending upon the country’s implementation plan, this decision will provide two to three times the quantum of spectrum available today.

“It will result in the ability to implement 80MHz and 160 MHz channels being available for the new Wi-Fi 6 standard ideal to support digital transformation efforts and use cases like high definition video and X Reality (XR).”

The Star