The Minister of Communication and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has emphasized that Ghana’s collaborative 5G infrastructure will revolutionize the telecommunications sector.
This week, the government announced its collaboration with seven industry stakeholders to establish a new shared infrastructure aimed at providing cost-effective 5G mobile broadband services nationwide.
The seven partners, including Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, and Tech Mahindra, along with telcos AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana, have formed the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC). NGIC has been granted a 5G license and is set to roll out 5G services across Ghana within six months, with plans for expansion into other African regions.
As the inaugural 5G Mobile Broadband Shared Infrastructure Entity in the country, NGIC will develop a nationwide 4G/5G network. Additionally, it will collaborate with telcos to introduce affordable 4G/5G-enabled Fixed Wireless Access Customer Premises Equipments (FWA CPEs) and smartphones in Ghana by the end of this year.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, May 30, Owusu-Ekuful emphasized that this pioneering initiative, unique in Africa, will catalyze economic growth in Ghana.
“There’s a lot of interest being shown in this network in the world of technology because it’s a trailblazer and it can be a gamechanger for rolling out technology on the continent,” she said.
“So a lot of interest is being shown in it. And that’s why so many of the technology majors are interested in partnering us to deliver it. Instead of competing with each other, they want to collaborate to show that it is doable, it is possible. “
Owusu-Ekuful added “And so we’re all very, very excited about it. When it was launched in India on Monday, over 100 networks across the world carried it. And so it is of great interest to everybody.”