Experts review 5G possibilities amidst uncertainties, infrastructural deficit
By Felicia Nwosu
The proposed deployment of the 5G network, welcomed amidst uncertainties and infrastructural deficit in the digital economy, have prompted brand custodians and advertising experts in Nigeria to critically review the possibilities of leveraging the technology for the delivery of improved customer engagements amongst others.
“There is a school of thought that believes that in certain areas 5G is already in implementation. It is a level we need to move to, because, as long as you want a faster, better digital driven economy, you need to embrace what is next and 5G is next. Now are we ready? certainly not. Some sectors are more ready than others, but I don’t think we have got the infrastructure in place yet to make that happen,” said Femi Adelusi, President, Media Independent Practitioners of Nigeria (MIPAN), and Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of BrandEye/Mediaplus.
The media practitioner submitted that the deployment is long overdue as a large number of advanced countries of the world have adopted the 5G network, whilst others are considering its adoption in the next few years, because of its high connectivity speed that will drive new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoTs), among others.
Further describing it as an inevitable progress, Adelusi noted that advertising has moved from where it used to be to a stage where research, data and insights are effective tools used in informing and shaping marketing strategies and campaigns, where 5G has become very handy.
He added: “If you want to see technology, data access, it is a digital driven economy that Lagos state for example wants to migrate to. In all of that, we will need a faster, better network for us to be able to drive that. We need to begin to see how education can be delivered in our universities at a faster pace, so if there is a next Covid-19 breakout, education doesn’t need to stop. Are universities ready to migrate their curriculum to digital where students can learn from home?”
Otis Ojeikhoa, Managing Director/CEO of Brands Optimal,a leading experiential agency, explained that Nigeria is not yet ready for such technological transition due to infrastructural deficits.
His words: “4G, what have we done with it? The infrastructure that we have really doesn’t support this technology that will fly around. My phone is 4G, but if you see the speed is worse than 3G or even 2G.The infrastructure that carries this technology are not robust enough to give us the opportunity to enjoy what this technology can truly render.
He reassured that Nigerians being a country of resilient and creative people will always devise a way of leveraging such opportunity, despite its challenges.
“The way we have always forced ourselves to be creative in using technology in different ways, will still be the way we will be forced to use 5G despite the restrictiveness or the constrained nature of the infrastructure, we are able to use other technology for various advertising purposes. We will see how it goes, but for me, I am not so optimistic about what the difference is for now.”
Public relations expert Israel Opayemi, Managing Director and Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Nigeria believes that such change will have huge a impact on the labour market even as he stressed the need for thorough capacity building.
“The whole idea of 5G is beyond just making calls, it is about the internet of things IOT, it is about smart offices, smart businesses, and no doubt about the fact that it is going to impact the way even public relations is done. My question is: are we prepared for that future, are PR firms preparing for that future to make such an investment for such a tremendous transition?”
Opayemi agreed that the 5G technology will impact and enhance PR practice with increased productivity, but may also likely lead to an increase in unemployment.
“Some of the things that we still do today manually such as media monitoring are going to change. It is a worn off investment, you do not pay the robot salaries. These are the kind of conversations we are currently having as a business of the future, which is why we are also training some of our existing staff now to be able to pilot into any area that technology will take over so that they can pilot to other things and be able to do other things so that people don’t necessarily have to lose their jobs.”
In his submission, Ife Odedare, Brand Manager, Malta Guinness Nigeria, opined that customers are savvier now than ever before, therefore brands must also increase their pace to be ahead of the consumers as they evolve.
This he maintained involves technology and digitization.
“Just like any other technology, as soon as it is introduced, we will always incorporate it into what we are doing. 5G Itself is a network but it is the application that really matters. It is a bit broad, it is like asking how I will leverage data for example. What I can easily do is to leverage applications that are using data and then find a way on how it is going to help my storytelling experience, social media presence, artificial augmented reality and all that, so it is those things 5G enables that we will be leveraging on and not the network itself. Once it gets to Nigeria, it will be widely adopted and widely present and we will see what the future holds from there,” he concluded.
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