By: Hertha Ekandjo

Newly appointed National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) chief executive officer Anicia Peters has welcomed cabinet’s decision to approve 5G technology in the country.

This week cabinet said it has taken note and approved the strategy for the deployment of the 5G network in the country.

“Cabinet supports the appropriation of the required budget for the implementation of the 5G strategy through the normal budgeting process,” cabinet said in a statement.

The approval of 5G was one of the recommendations by the 4IR task force that was established by president Hage Geingob last year, which Peters chaired.

“Cabinet had already instructed the actioning of the 4IR report’s recommendations to all affected offices, ministries and agencies. For Namibia, it will accelerate and enhance network speeds which will allow the adoption and use of 4IR emerging technologies for both companies and entrepreneurs as the world is more digitised than ever,” Peters told  The Villager.

“Faster network speeds are needed for digitalisation and 4IR technologies such as data analytics, 3D printing, robotics, virtual reality, and even for true online teaching,” she added.

“Namibia is a late bloomer in the 5G space as 12 countries across the continent are already using It. I think that entrepreneurs will really benefit from 5G deployment.”

Peters said it is necessary to upgrade to 5G as 4G is currently limited, arguing that with the growing digitalisation drive across Africa, Namibia included, and especially given Namibia’s aspirations towards a green hydrogen hub, 5G becomes very necessary.

“Of course, 5G will not be available everywhere in the country just like we have a mix of 4G, 3G, and 2G in the country.”

“MTC, Paratus and Telecom have expressed in different media reports that they have been readying themselves and their infrastructure for some time in anticipation of the lifting of the moratorium. So, I believe that our local companies will be able to upgrade the infrastructure,” she said.

This comes as earlier this month MTC said it had upgraded its network infrastructure to ensure that its network is ready to deploy 5G technology in preparation for future lifting of the country’s existing moratorium.

“A few weeks ago the Minister of ICT (Peya Mushelenga) announced that  government is supporting that (5G moratorium). So we are yet to see progress on the moratorium and when it will be lifted. However, based on the strategy of the regulator in terms of research and deployment, they gave dates of between next year March 2023 to June,” said Licky Erastus, the MTC CEO.

“As MTC, we are still waiting on the moratorium when it will be lifted so we can carry on. Our plans stopped in 2020 when the moratorium was affected due to Covid-19. However, we did not stop as we had to do some upgrades on our infrastructures so that we could be in line,” Erastus said.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)’s researcher Frederico Links says the approval of 5G is a good step for Namibia to take to keep up with the other countries.

“We have to move with the time, when everybody is upgrading in the world to 5G, Namibia must as well, so that we can keep up with the international trend in terms of technology,” Links said.

The researcher said that the decision by cabinet is good and needed by the country to improve when it comes to technology.

The 5G is the 5th generation mobile network after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks.

5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.

According to him the installation of 5G is something that Namibia should do looking at the policy statement such as Vision 2030, which says that Namibia would be a knowledge-driven economy.

When it comes to the rolling out of the network, Links mentioned that it depends on the international tech company that the country chooses to go with.

Links said: “There are various 5G tech suppliers out there. Cost will be an issue that will be a deciding factor in this.”

5G does, however, not come without its health concerns.

Research has shown that according to 180 scientists and doctors from 36 countries (EU 5G Appeal), there are “undoubtedly” viable concerns regarding the 5G technology.

Although 5G’s short wavelength and range make it non-ionising, it is still possible to pose a risk to the environment and human health.

They also observed that 5G could increase the amount of electromagnetic radiation in the atmosphere, leading to an increased risk for disease and a high risk of cancer.

The health ministry’s executive director, Ben Nangombe said that cabinet has applied their mind to all the aspects of this particular technology.

In terms of health concerns, he said that every aspect of life has risks and it just depends on mitigation and making sure that the implementation of a particular project is made in such a way that it is safe and possible for people in the country.

“Each and every aspect of life has risks, whether it is the water we drink, the food and the transports used all have risks,” Nangombe said.

In 2020 cabinet tasked the ministry of environment, forestry and tourism to conduct a strategic environmental assessment on the introduction of 5G technology in the country.

Zambia last month became the latest African market to get 5G services, with the rollout of 5G ramping up in recent months.

Safaricom launched 5G services in Kenya, Vodacom doing the same in Tanzania, Telkom in South Africa, MTN in Nigeria, while Orange has switched on 5G services in Botswana.