Today, people talk about a rapidly changing world, with the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, data analytics and so on becoming common in the modern-day business world. The digital world is the most exciting place to be now, and businesses across industries are transforming into digital entities to fit into the new world. In this new digital world, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have the arduous task of steering businesses towards opportunities and away from risks that could potentially harm an enterprise.
Access to information and the flow of same have become critical to the success of a business because it is the currency in the digital world, and CIOs are responsible for building and safeguarding the IT systems through which information and data flow to help create value for a business.
In the past, before the explosion in wireless communications, mobility and convergence, the CIO role was relatively quiet, and it was easy for a typical CIO to decide pretty quickly how to build and safeguard an enterprise IT system. Chief information officers no longer have such luxury in a highly fast-paced and multifaceted digital world. Today, with technological advancement, ultra-high connectivity speed and reliability, previously only available via fiber, are now readily available and more affordable through wireless.
Choosing between fiber and wireless should be easy, considering that wireless connectivity comes much cheaper than fiber, though equally as reliable and fast. And there is only so much cabling a business can run on its base. But that is only half the story. Apart from choosing between fiber and wireless, the CIO has the unenviable task of deciding on the best wireless connectivity for his business. The CIO can choose from several competent wireless networks, from 4G Wi-Fi to LTE and now 5G.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in the now much-talked-about new normal, which entails more remote and hybrid work models. More and more businesses have embraced remote working, and more deals are consummated online. As a result, companies are now spending more time considering the best reliability, security, cost, speed, and maintenance network to adopt in line with their business objectives.
The 5G technology, launched in 2019, would appear to be the intelligent choice considering its immense capabilities and functionality: it has ultra-low latency, enabling it to process commands in a thousandth of a second; its reliability rate is put at 99.9999%, similar to the rating of a fixed Ethernet network; it has ultra-high connection density, set at a million devices per square kilometre, ten times higher than a 4G, for instance; it is flexible enough to function well in environments with radio and metal interference; it has increased security and is power efficient, among much other functionality. And 5G can be deployed in many applications, including ultra-high-definition videos, remote visual inspection, industrial-scale internet-of-things, manufacturing, gaming, broadcasting, etc.
The capabilities of the 5G, which will no doubt open the floodgate to previously unimaginable applications and the logicality of its adoption, have not eased the pressure on CIOs. Why? Businesses are increasingly enamoured of owning a 5G network and are considering adopting public 5G networks or building their own private 5G networks. Therein lies the new problem faced by chief information officers.
Experts believe private 5G is becoming attractive for the world’s largest businesses. By the mid-2020s, tens of billions of dollars would be expended yearly by organisations on private 5G networks. Such networks are believed to have the potential to instigate a Fourth Industrial Revolution in manufacturing processes. According to Deloitte, private 5G networks could be as disruptive as 3G, with an estimated five billion people worldwide expected to be hooked up to 5G networks by 2025.
A vital benefit of a private 5G network is the extra layer of control an organisation has over its connectivity, and with power comes flexibility and the ability to put in more security measures. There are several factors, however, that a CIO must consider before finally settling for either a public or private 5G network for the business; chief among them is the long-term benefit to the company and the likely impact on the bottom line.
Cost consideration remains critical. Opting for a private 5G network will require a business to invest millions of dollars in infrastructure purchase, building and maintenance. The company may also have to invest in additional personnel with the requisite skills to manage the network. There is also the issue of getting the necessary spectrum for the private 5G network. Thus, decisions on whether to deploy in-house resources or engage experts for the personal 5G would have to be made.
Other benefits of a private 5G network are the ability of the business to configure it to specific onsite needs and to determine a deployment timetable as well as coverage quality. Will data be processed in the public cloud, or will a federated learning technique – internally processing data and sending only encrypted results to the cloud – be adopted? Decision on how data from the network is processed remains critical and has to be made by the CIO.
With private 5G growth, regulators must rejig policies and regulations to match current realities. Japan and Germany are ahead of most as regulators in these nations are already assigning dedicated, licensed spectrum to organisations for private networks.
December 21, 2023, will make it two years since the buzz surrounding 5G commenced in Nigeria. Currently, there are three potential service providers: MTN Nigeria, Mafab Communications, and Airtel Nigeria. However, the excitement has waned, and Nigerians now await the anticipated 5G services from their respective locations.
On December 21, 2021, licenses were granted to MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications. Although their rollout schedule was initially set for August 2022, the regulator granted Mafab Communications a five-month extension to prepare adequately.
MTN Nigeria launched its commercial 5G network in Lagos, promising to launch it in six other cities: Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri. On June 19, 2023, Airtel, the final contender to acquire the 5G license, initiated its rollout of the fifth-generation network in four key locations: Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and Abuja.
As Nigerians anxiously await to fully enjoy the benefits that come with 5G, the advanced 5G technology promises to extend the reach and capacity of data network in Nigeria and enable much faster speeds and lower latency, giving customers near-instant access to the things they care about and downloads that take seconds, instead of minutes.
With the 5G launch, leveraging the most extensive spectrum dedicated to 5G in Africa, Nigeria will join a handful of African countries that have rolled out the 5G network. It is the time for CIOs in the country to keep a close watch on the development and open discussions with their boards and management on 5G and its expected benefits to the business ecosystems.
Mr. Joseph Oloyede, Chief Business Officer, IT Horizons Group
