(Ecofin Agency) - In April 2022, MTN Ghana and Vodafone Ghana signed a national roaming agreement, and a pilot phase was even launched in the Volta region.  

Telecommunications operators Vodafone Ghana and MTN Ghana have extended the scope of their national roaming agreement to the entire country. In areas where Vodafone’s network is poor or nonexistent, its subscribers can access services via MTN’s network and vice-versa. 

“National roaming offers customers a greater choice of network providers. [...] We are excited that this partnership has extended to other regions,” said Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Vodafone Ghana.

MTN and Vodafone entered into their national roaming agreement in April 2022. At the time, they launched a pilot phase in the Volta Region. The extended agreement comes days after Glo and AirtelTigo signed a similar agreement. It is part of a larger program by the Ghanaian government to establish a comprehensive national roaming regime between all operators in the country.

The government's initiative will facilitate universal access to telecommunications services by improving coverage and quality. It is also expected to accelerate the development of the sector and the Ghanaian digital transformation.

National roaming is also expected to increase competition in the telecom market by offering consumers a wider choice of network providers. According to the latest data from the National Communications Authority (NCA), telecom operators MTN, Vodafone, and AirtelTigo control 66.98 percent, 18.97 percent, and 14.06 percent of the 39.73 million strong market, respectively.

Isaac K. Kassouwi