• Telecel Ghana ready to launch 5G but awaiting spectrum allocation
• Shared 5G network already active in parts of major cities
• Government reviewing hybrid model after revoking NGIC exclusivity

Telecel Ghana is ready to launch 5G services but is waiting for regulators to allocate spectrum. A shared 5G network is already commercially operational in parts of the country, meaning the operator could already connect to it and launch services for its subscribers.

Speaking on the Super Morning Show on local radio station Joy FM, Telecel Ghana Chief Executive Patricia Obo-Nai said the operator, like other telecom companies, is waiting to learn which frequency bands will be made available. She added that the company is prepared to launch 5G services as soon as the required spectrum becomes available.

Obo-Nai said Telecel Ghana hopes the spectrum allocation process will be transparent and competitive so that all telecom operators can participate on equal terms.

Ghana’s Shared 5G Network Model Faces Its First Test

The operator's comments came days after Next Gen Infraco (NGIC), Ghana's wholesale 4G/5G infrastructure operator, announced the commercial launch of its operations. Mobile operators and internet service providers can now connect to its network, which is currently available in parts of Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and other key regions, with a nationwide rollout planned in phases.

This shared model was the approach originally chosen by telecom authorities to address coverage gaps under the traditional model, in which operators acquire spectrum through auctions to deploy their own networks and serve customers. Authorities had expressed concern that coverage would be concentrated mainly in densely populated urban areas that operators consider more profitable.

NGIC launched in May 2024 and was granted an exclusive 10-year license. However, citing delays in network deployment, authorities announced at the end of February 2026 that they were revoking NGIC's exclusivity mandate and would soon make frequency resources available through a competitive national tender. They have opted for a hybrid approach.

Yet since the network went live, no Ghanaian telecom operator has announced a timeline for launching services over the shared infrastructure. The position expressed by Telecel raises questions about how effective the shared model really is and how much appetite operators actually have for it. Authorities have not yet announced a timeline for the spectrum tender.

Isaac K. Kassouwi