Keypoints:
- Ghana to auction 5G spectrum through open bidding
- NGIC loses exclusivity after rollout delays
- Government targets 70 percent 5G coverage by 2027
GHANA is preparing to auction 5G spectrum licences through an open competitive process in 2026 after deciding its original single-provider rollout model was not delivering nationwide deployment quickly enough.
The policy shift follows announcements by Ghana’s Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations and the National Communications Authority (NCA), which confirmed the government would move away from the exclusive framework previously granted to Next-Gen Infraco, commonly known as NGIC.
The decision marks a major reset for Ghana’s telecoms sector after nearly two years of rollout delays.
For many consumers, access to 5G services has remained limited since the initial launch announcement in 2024, despite government ambitions to position Ghana among Africa’s leading digital economies.
Several African governments are also reassessing shared-network telecom models amid rising infrastructure costs and slower-than-expected 5G adoption across the continent.
Government moves away from exclusivity
Under the original arrangement introduced in 2024, NGIC received a 10-year exclusive wholesale licence to build a shared national 4G and 5G network that telecom operators would use instead of constructing separate infrastructure.
Officials initially argued the shared-network model would reduce duplication, lower rollout costs and speed up nationwide connectivity.
However, the project struggled to gain momentum.
Regulators and industry observers said deployment progress remained limited, with infrastructure concentrated mainly in Accra while broader nationwide expansion lagged behind expectations. The NCA also disclosed that NGIC had fallen behind on instalments linked to its $125m licence obligations. (nca.org.gh)
In March 2026, the NCA formally began the process of removing NGIC’s exclusivity clause, arguing that broader participation would help improve competition, accelerate deployment and ensure more efficient use of spectrum resources.
Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George later confirmed that Ghana intended to allocate spectrum through competitive bidding rather than relying on a sole wholesale operator.
Lessons from Ghana’s 4G rollout
The government’s revised strategy is also shaped by lessons from Ghana’s earlier 4G spectrum auction in 2015.
At the time, spectrum blocks were priced at roughly $67.5m each, a level many industry observers considered too expensive for smaller operators. MTN Ghana ultimately emerged as the only operator to secure spectrum, reinforcing its dominance in the country’s mobile data market.
NCA market data shows MTN Ghana controls roughly 79 percent of Ghana’s internet subscriber market, giving regulators fresh concerns that poorly structured 5G auctions could deepen concentration instead of expanding competition.
Officials now say the priority will be broader participation and faster network deployment rather than maximising government revenue from spectrum sales alone.
The government also wants telecom operators to launch 5G services around the same period to avoid another heavily imbalanced market structure.
Operators still face major challenges
Despite the policy reset, industry challenges remain significant.
Telecel Group and AT Ghana continue to deal with network quality and investment pressures ahead of their merger integration, while MTN itself has questioned whether enough consumers currently own compatible 5G devices to support rapid nationwide adoption.
Industry analysts say Ghana’s telecoms sector now faces a delicate balancing act between encouraging infrastructure investment and preventing dominant operators from consolidating even greater market power.
NGIC had promoted the wholesale model as a way to democratise infrastructure access across the sector. But critics argued operators lacked sufficient control over deployment and optimisation under the arrangement, slowing commercial rollout incentives.
The government now appears to be shifting towards a more open structure in which NGIC may continue operating infrastructure while telecom companies also gain direct spectrum access.
Race to meet 2027 target
The reset comes with an ambitious national deadline.
The government wants Ghana to achieve 70 percent 5G population coverage by March 2027, when the country marks the 70th anniversary of independence.
However, the timeline remains extremely tight.
Authorities still need to finalise auction rules, allocate spectrum, approve operators and oversee nationwide infrastructure deployment within less than a year.
For policymakers, the challenge now is avoiding a repeat of two earlier problems at once: relying too heavily on a struggling exclusive provider or pricing spectrum so aggressively that only one dominant operator can realistically compete.
