Ghana awards 5G licences to MTN and Telecel after shared-network flop

Ghana dropped its single state-backed 5G network model and on October 2 granted spectrum and licences to MTN Ghana and Telecel Ghana. MTN paid about $100 million for a 15-year licence, while Telecel plans a December launch. Only 49 5G sites existed as of March 2026 against a 4,400-site target.

• MTN Ghana paid about $100 million for a 15-year 5G licence
• Telecel plans to launch its own 5G network in December
• Ghana had only 49 5G sites by March 2026 versus a 4,400 target
• The NGIC shared-network project with Reliance Industries is not being scrapped