Ghana Signs Agreements With Dependency Tech Mahindra, Jio, and Others To Construct 4G And 5G Infrastructure

The Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), supported by the government of Ghana, has collaborated with Tech Mahindra, Nokia, and Radisys, a division of Jio, to construct the infrastructure required to provide reasonably priced 5G mobile broadband services.

In an effort to improve its telecom capabilities, Ghana has inked agreements to develop 4G and 5G infrastructure with Tech Mahindra, a Reliance Jio affiliate, and other suppliers. The Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), supported by the government of Ghana, has collaborated with Tech Mahindra, Nokia, and Radisys, a division of Jio, to construct the infrastructure required to provide reasonably priced 5G mobile broadband services.

Ghana aims to follow India's lead in telecom penetration, according to Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the minister of communication and digitalization for the West African nation. She told reporters that India was a "strategic choice" because of their comparable demographics. "Your (India's) demographics are just like us, the Jio model was pushed out just a few years ago, so the learnings are nevertheless fresh," she said.

Local telcos will use the shared infrastructure to carry out the services in the next six months, with NGIC receiving 5G spectrum. The total contract value, according to rumors, exceeds $200 million USD. Ghana is a member of the 33-nation Smart Africa alliance, according to Ekuful, and other nations on the continent will be keenly observing the launch to see if they can do the same locally.

She said, "It was a strategic choice for us," when it was brought out that Indian vendors had not previously completed transactions of this kind and that Ghana had selected them over Chinese suppliers. We want to avoid being entangled in any of the ongoing geopolitical issues. What is best for our country's interests is what we desire."

"Ghana wants to leverage India's experience in the field," she said.

Chief Executive of Radisys, Arun Bhikshesvaran, discussed the agreement by saying, "Our digital applications and communications platform will help generate new digital experiences that empower the Ghanaian community as well as foster sustainable and inclusive development."

According to a statement, Ghanaians' lives would be improved in a number of areas, including as healthcare, education, and digital payments via the contemporary telecom network.

The minister for Ghana said that in order to increase its telecom penetration, the nation is looking at both 4G and 5G networks as well as satellite access. Elon Musk's Starlink is reportedly in negotiations with Ghana for the latter. One of the most well-known mobile network providers in Africa is Bharti Airtel, Jio's competition in the local market.