The Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has clarified that MTN, one of Ghana’s leading telecommunications companies, has not been excluded from the 5G rollout plans. On May 30, when the government announced its plans to introduce 5G within the next six months, industry experts expressed concerns about why MTN was not part of the consortium — Next-Gen InfraCo (NGIC) — tasked with implementing the 5G network.
Addressing the issue on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, June 24, the Ablekuma West MP informed host Bernard Avle that MTN will be involved at some point. She refuted the claims that MTN was deliberately excluded, calling them a false alarm and far from the truth.
“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. “…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.”
Meanwhile, the companies that make up the 5G consortium are Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, and Tech Mahindra, and two telcos, AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana.
By: William Narh
