The Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has clarified that telecom giant MTN is part of the government's 5G rollout plans.

The clarification follows concerns raised over the telecommunication company's exclusion during the formation of Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), which has been awarded the 5G license.

The company made up of seven partners including Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, Tech Mahindra, AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana, is expected to launch 5G services across Ghana within the next six months.

But addressing the issue on Accra-based Citi FM on Monday, June 24, Madam Ursula Owusu-Ekuful stressed that MTN will be involved at some point.

According to the NPP MP for Ablekuma West, “…Discussions are ongoing. All network operators in the country are being offered the opportunity to take up equity in this Next-Gen InfraCo, all of them, including MTN.”

She used the platform to urge the public to disregard the assertion that MTN Ghana was deliberately excluded by the government.

“I don’t know who created that impression. Somebody threw it out there, and nobody spoke to me or any of those involved in putting this consortium together before spreading this false alarm. It is not true,” she stated.

Operating 5G in Ghana

NGIC will be the first entity to build a nationwide 4G/5G network, and it will collaborate with telcos to introduce affordable 4G/5G-enabled fixed wireless access (FWA) customer premises equipment (CPE) and smartphones in Ghana this year.

The partnership aims to enhance the lives of Ghanaians by introducing digital services in education, healthcare, and digital payment transactions through peer-to-peer (P2P), peer-to-merchant (P2M), and merchant-to-merchant (M2M) systems. This initiative is expected to reduce the digital divide and promote financial inclusion.

Moreover, the multi-party partnership will support NGIC in the comprehensive deployment of network infrastructure and related services. Communications service providers (CSPs) aim to address both enterprise and consumer markets with enhanced digital services.

To facilitate this, Tech Mahindra will build a Cloud Native Core Network powered by leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) platforms.

NGIC plans to adopt India's successful model of affordable handsets, digital platforms, and localized content and applications. The objective is to replicate this high-speed mobile data model across Africa, starting with Ghana.

Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful during the announcement said, “The creation of a shared 5G Mobile Broadband Infrastructure is critical for delivering affordable, high-speed data access to the people of Ghana and help achieve our Digital Ghana vision."

"The creation of NGIC as a neutral, shared platform, accessible to all mobile network operators and tower companies, will help to expand 5G services rapidly across the country. We are inspired by India’s digital infrastructure and low-cost mobile data usage and keen to replicate it in Ghana.”