The Vice President at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, Hossam Kandeel, gave an enlightening interview to Temitayo Jaiyeola regarding the progressive growth of Nigeria's telecommunications industry and the future prospects of incorporating 5G technology in the country. Mr. Kandeel postulated that Nigeria is an influential player within the ICT domain in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ICT industry is recognized as a significant architect of economic progression, empowering communities and stimulating learning processes. Mr. Kandeel commended Nigeria's advance towards technological modernization by launching 5G in September of the previous year.

The introduction of 5G technology is seen as a valuable step towards enabling the digital evolution of the economy. Mr. Kandeel drew attention to the commendable efforts of Nigeria in managing challenges that other nations still grapple with but reiterated that there is considerable scope for further development, particularly concerning rural coverage. He acknowledged that telecom network capability is essentially a global concern and not limited solely to Nigeria. The primary objective is to ensure the accessibility of networks across the country ubiquitously, to benefit both rural and urban residents alike.

The ability of network providers to continually augment the network becomes more crucial as the usage intensifies. Mr. Kandeel illustrated this point by shedding light on different network applications, varying from text messaging to streaming videos to remote surgery, all demanding distinct network capabilities. He stressed on the importance of maintaining proper signal coverage as the demand for applications increases; if neglected, network quality can deteriorate, subsequently diminishing application performance.

Mr. Kandeel gave an interesting analogy comparing network generations to different outfit choices for different occasions, emphasizing that technologies are not mutually exclusive but suit different situations. He stressed that 5G technology was crucial for applications demanding higher speeds, whereas lesser intensive tasks could be proficiently handled by 4G. He also mentioned the significant influence of handset availability, anticipating an increase in the number of 5G supportive handsets boosting their uptake in the future.

One of 5G's foremost advantages is that it is designed to connect things, not just individuals, echoing the Internet of Things (IoT). Mr. Kandeel outlined the impressive potential of this aspect of 5G, empowering individuals to bring their innovative ideas to life and stimulating economic expansion. The successful realisation of these opportunities depends significantly upon smartphone penetration, which remains a challenge in Nigeria and Africa.

Mr. Kandeel suggested strategies for improving the smartphone penetration rate, ranging from setting up local manufacturing units to forging commercial agreements for importation. However, affordability remains a crucial factor linked to the economic stability and prosperity of the individuals, influenced by the economic condition of the country. Furthermore, digital literacy prominent in ensuring effective smartphone usage to fully exploit the available technological resources. Hence, imparting digital knowledge has been a significant focus for Ericsson, initiating educational programmes to equip more people with technology know-how.

Ericsson's investment strategy encompasses more than just providing equipment for their partners but extends to developing sustainable solutions tailored to the distinct demands of various societies and economies. Their scope of activity includes fostering a climate for young innovators, contributing to the governments' ICT solutions, and offering in-house training for fresh graduates. According to Mr. Kandeel, the future demand for Internet services will be driven by real-time extended reality applications, making them one of the significant drivers for data consumption.