Regulator of the telecoms sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has expressed concern over safety fears raised by the aviation industry in the United States (US) over the rollout of the fifth generation (5G) technology in the country.

Two American carriers, Verizon and AT&T, had announced that they will temporarily limit 5G service around some airports in the wake of airlines’ warnings about “catastrophic” disruption from the rollout.

Nigeria is at the threshold of deploying the technology having concluded the bid for the 3.5gigahertz (GHz) spectrum that will be used to deploy the technology in the country in December last year.

The CEO of NCC, Prof Garba Danbatta, in an exclusive electronic chat with The Nation at the weekend, said the Commission was studying the situation with a view to putting measures in place to avert ‘catastrophic’ disruption.

“Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) to other services that may arise from roll out of 5G services is a source of concern to the global telecommunications community, including Nigeria. We (the NCC) are studying the situation closely and would put measures in place, consistent with global best practice, to ensure Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) of 5G services with other services,” Danbatta explained in the e-chat.

But telecom operators in Nigeria at the weekend dismissed as baseless, fears expressed by the US aviation authorities.

The operators say the noise was part of the conspiracy theory that has dogged the introduction of the technology.

Both the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) say the rollout of the technology in the country should go on as scheduled.

Chairman, ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said there is yet to be any empirical evidence to validate the fears being raised about the technology and safety issues in the aviation sector.

“There is no scientifically proven report(s) to that effect. These are considered at this stage as part of the general conspiracy theory against 5G.

“We are convinced, based on empirical reports, that there is no interference with aviation navigation systems with 5G technology mobile phone services,” Adebayo explained in a mailed response to media enquiries.

ATCON President, Ikechukwu Nnamani, said the US situation should not be used as a basis to generalize the impact of the technology.

Nnamani, who is the CEO of Medallion Communication, stated that 5G is a technology that has been operationslised in no fewer than 40 countries across the world.

“There are over 40 countries with full 5G deployment that are not having any problems with the airline industry. The problem with the US case is the frequency they are using that is very close to what the airlines use for landing, the power of their antennas, and how the antennas are pointed up instead of downwards. All that needs to be corrected in the US and as long as Nigeria avoids the same, we should not have any problems,” he said in a short response to media reaction.

Already, two carriers, MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications Limited are shopping for cash in hard currency, not only to pay for 3.5 GHz spectrum bid price of $273,600,000 for each lot of 100 megahertz (MHz) Time Division Duplex (TDD) they won last year, they are also shopping for cash to purchase equipment from global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to carry out the rollout of 5G technology in the country in Q1 this year.

They are expected to pay the winning bid price, less the Intention-to-bid deposit, by February 24, 2022, according to Prof Dambatta.

In a letter to U.S. transportation and economic officials, the CEOs of major carriers had said the launch of 5G could ground flights and strand “tens of thousands of Americans” overseas.

As AT&T and Verizon rolled out the new C-Band 5G service in the middle of last week, airlines continue to contend with the fallout from widespread flight cancellations fueled by the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus and a series of winter storms that caused travel chaos across the U.S.

The airlines warned that the 5G signals risked interfering with safety equipment pilots rely on to take off and land in inclement weather.

“Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will essentially be grounded,” they said in the letter, which was signed by the chief executives of American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue, along with leaders of UPS and FedEx.

“Immediate intervention is needed to avoid significant operational disruption to air passengers, shippers, supply chain and delivery of needed medical supplies,” the letter said.

Without clearance, it added, “to be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt.”

The letter was addressed to National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson and Rosenworcel.

Fifth-generation wireless technology, widely known as 5G, promises to deliver ultrafast internet speeds, extra bandwidth and increased connectivity. Telecommunications companies around the world are racing to roll out the service.

The concern is that the airwave spectrum used by the 5G technology could clash with the signals used by radio altimeters, measuring instruments that help pilots determine the distance from the ground to the bottom of an aircraft in low-visibility operations.

Both companies have agreed to maintain buffer zones around at least 50 airports to reduce the possibility of interference. And the rollout last week has already been delayed by two weeks at the request of the Transportation Department in response to concerns from aviation leaders.

AT&T and Verizon initially rejected the government’s request in early January, but they reversed course and agreed to the two-week delay.