MTN Ghana and Telecel win 5G licences in Ghana

TL;DR: MTN Ghana and Telecel have secured licences to provide 5G services in Ghana after the government ended NGIC's wholesale 5G exclusivity. Ghana's National Communications Authority auctioned spectrum in the 700MHz, 2.3GHz and 3GHz bands, and the licences run for 15 years.

MTN Ghana and Telecel have secured licences to provide 5G services in Ghana after the government dropped the previous wholesale-exclusive model. The earlier arrangement gave 5G exclusivity to NGIC, a joint venture involving the Ghanaian government, Nokia, Radisys, Tech Mahindra, AT Ghana and Telecel.

Ghana revoked NGIC's concession before its 2034 expiry, saying it wanted to speed up high-speed connectivity deployment. Earlier this year, Ghana had 49 active 5G sites, compared with a government target of 1,200 by 2027.

Ghana's National Communications Authority held spectrum bids in the 700MHz, 2.3GHz and 3GHz bands. MTN Ghana acquired two blocks of 700MHz spectrum and three blocks of 3GHz spectrum for around US$100 million per holding, and the licences are valid for 15 years.

Telecel said it plans to launch 5G in December this year on its own network. Telecel CEO Moh Damush gave the launch timing in comments to Bloomberg.