The Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has made it clear that Ghana will not permit any specific telecom firm to secure an early mover advantage in the deployment of fifth-generation (5G) network services.
During an interview on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress 2026 held in Barcelona, the Minister outlined the government’s strategy to ensure all mobile network operators introduce 5G services at the same time through a unified national launch. He explained that this method aims to establish fair competition within the telecom sector and prevent any single entity from dominating the market with next-generation technology.
“I think that we would achieve our rollout with the sale of the spectrum that we want to do, and we want to do it in such a way that every player in the market gets a fair opportunity to roll out 5G together. I have been clear in my policy direction to the regulator.
“One network will not roll out 5G. All networks will roll out 5G on the same day. We will have a national launch that will carry everybody and so part of what the regulator will do is that in terms of the license, if you want to bid for the license, it is for you to sign up to our national roaming framework.
“So if telecom company ‘A’ gets and telecom company ‘B’ doesn’t get, telecom ‘A’ company will have to give telecom ‘B’ company at least not more than six months to condition their network before they can roll out. And when they roll out, they must allow telecom B roam on all their 5G sites at cost price. So there will be no arbitrage between what telecom company A is selling to their customers and telecom,” he stated.
The Minister’s remarks come in response to recent assertions by Next Gen Infraco (NGIC) that it had received official notification from the National Communications Authority (NCA) confirming its fulfillment of conditions to begin commercial wholesale 4G and 5G services under its license.
Samuel Nartey George, however, dismissed these statements as deceptive, pointing out that the minimal infrastructure currently installed by the firm hardly qualifies as a countrywide deployment.
“When government has announced that we are going to do an auction of 5G, rushing to put out this to try and rattle the market is actually not a very smart way of dealing with a regulator, especially when you are in default of the regulator. I mean, in Greater Accra alone, we have over 1,600 cell sites.
“So if someone has 43 cell sites and says they have rolled out in Greater Accra, or in the whole of Ashanti region, says it has two cell sites and says they have rolled out 5G, how is that a rollout?” the Minister queried.
He further disclosed that the company is currently failing to meet specific licensing requirements, including outstanding payments owed to the regulatory body since September of the previous year, and has been officially alerted to this violation.
The Minister added that authorities are already in discussions with industry stakeholders concerning the national roaming structure in preparation for the upcoming spectrum auction.
Beyond 5G, the administration is depending on modifications to regulations to stimulate network investment throughout the industry. Recent policy shifts, including technology neutrality and revised quality-of-service criteria, have encouraged telecom operators to speed up infrastructure expansion.
Leading operators such as MTN Ghana and Telecel Ghana have revealed intentions to substantially grow their networks this year, with hundreds of additional cell towers anticipated to be built to enhance connectivity and service standards. The Minister observed that these expenditures demonstrate the government’s wider approach of transforming the regulator’s function from strict enforcement to promoting creativity and investment within Ghana’s telecommunications landscape.
