Cyber crooks target Nigeria 5G migration
from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
ABUJA – THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is wary of cyber criminals pouncing on the country’s migration to fifth-generation technology for broadband cellular networks (5G).
The force’s National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) alerted the public to phishing and other online attacks.
This is through a WhatsApp message, currently in circulation, purportedly from the NCCC informing the general public of the commencement and warning of possible breaches in the migration protocols to the 5G network services.
Uche Ifeanyi Henry, NCCC Director, disowned the message.
“It is likely the handiwork of cyber criminals setting the grounds to fleece innocent and unsuspecting members of the public of their monies or to steal their identities.”
“The general public is hereby advised to discountenance the broadcast message and cease sharing such, as it is deceptive and misleading,” Henry added.
Nigeria is in line with global trends deploying 5G.
The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) recently announced Airtel as the sole bidder for the remaining 3.5GHz spectrum license required for deployment of these services in the country.
Last year, the commission issued 5G licences to MTN and Mafab Communications.
While MTN had long deployed the first 5G network in the country, Mafab is expected to roll out its network in January 2023.
According to the latest mobility report released by Ericsson, Nigeria and South Africa are projected to drive growth of 5G connections in Sub-Saharan Africa to 150 million by 2028.
“In terms of its economic impact, the deployment of 5G will further boost economic growth by enhancing the growth possibilities of businesses in the fintech, e-commerce, and payment sectors,” FBN Quest stated.
– CAJ News
