The Minister of Communications and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, announced that Ghana’s shared 5G infrastructure will officially be rolled out in September of this year. During an interview with Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday, June 20th, Owusu-Ekuful stated, “The mining sector, the oil industry, everybody is clamouring for high-speed data connectivity to do so much more with it. It opens up our country.”
It encourages the establishment of more data centres here, it can make Ghana the hub… ” she said. “Let be the Switzerland of Africa … we can do it, it is possible, I am excited at the prospects, so when I hear all the negativities. I say ok, maybe they don’t understand why we are doing this.”
“And it’s important to explain it so we understand it and we are going to do it. I’m breathing down their neck that with all these flaks that I’m receiving, you better make this work, September we are launching 5G in this country, ” Owusu-Ekuful said.
Last month, the government announced its partnership with seven industry players on a new shared infrastructure to deliver affordable 5G mobile broadband services across Ghana. The seven partners are Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, and Tech Mahindra and two telcos – AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana.
The partners have established the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), which has been awarded a 5G license and is expected to launch 5G services across Ghana within the next six months, followed by expansion to other parts of Africa.
The company will be the first 5G Mobile Broadband Shared Infrastructure Entity to build a nationwide 4G/5G network. It will also work with the telcos to launch affordable 4G/5G-enabled FWA CPEs and smartphones in Ghana within this calendar year.
By: Fred Dzakpata
