Govt of Ghana partners with Indian and Global technology leaders and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to launch ‘Next-Gen InfraCo.’, Africa’s first 4G & 5G Shared Mobile Broadband - Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)

Public private partnership with Govt of Ghana, Ascend Digital, K-Net and MNOs in collaboration with strategic technology partners Radisys, Nokia and Tech Mahindra to deliver affordable mobile broadband across Ghana.

AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana aim to leverage India’s successful model of Affordable handsets, digital platform, localized content and applications.

The Government of Ghana, Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, and Tech Mahindra, with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana, today announce their partnership on a new shared network initiative -Next-Gen InfraCo. (NGIC). This collaboration aims to deliver affordable 5G mobile broadband services across Ghana. The Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC) has been awarded 5G license and expected to launch 5G services across Ghana within the next six months, followed by expansion to other parts of Africa.

Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC) will be the first 5G Mobile Broadband Shared Infrastructure Entity to build a nationwide 4G/ 5G network . The company will also work with MNO partners to launch affordable 4G / 5G-enabled FWA CPEs and smart phones in Ghana within this calendar year. The partnership aims to enhance the lives of Ghanaians by introducing digital services in education, healthcare, and digital payment transactions through P2P (peer-to-peer), P2M (peer-to-merchant) and M2M (merchant-to-merchant) systems , thereby reducing-digital divide and promoting financial inclusion. Additionally, the multiplayer partnership will support NGIC in the entire deployment of network infrastructure and associated services, as communications service providers (CSPs) are looking to address enterprise and consumer markets with enhanced digital services. To achieve this, Tech Mahindra will build a Cloud Native Core Network powered by leading OEM (original equipment manufacturer) platforms.

NGIC plans to adopt India’s successful model of affordable handsets, digital platforms, and localized content and applications. The goal is to replicate this high-speed mobile data model across Africa, beginning with Ghana.

Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Minister for Communications and Digitalization for the Republic of Ghana, said,

“The creation of a shared 5G Mobile Broadband Infrastructure is critical for delivering affordable, high-speed data access to the people of Ghana and help achieve our Digital Ghana vision. The creation of NGIC as a neutral, shared platform, accessible to all mobile network operators and tower companies, will help to expand 5G services rapidly across the country. We are inspired by India’s digital infrastructure and low-cost mobile data usage and keen to replicate it in Ghana.”

Mrs. Amina Maina, Director and Chairman for NGIC, said,

“The vision of NGIC is to craft a comprehensive digitization roadmap, placing emphasis on agriculture, education, M-commerce, and healthcare sectors. This collaborative effort, uniting world-leading telecom and technology partners is geared towards enriching the lives of Ghanaians by introducing digital services in education and healthcare. Additionally, we aim to facilitate digital payment transactions via P2P (peer-to-peer), P2M (peer-to-merchant), and M2M (merchant-to-merchant) channels. Our overarching objective is to narrow the digital gap and achieve complete financial inclusion, paving the way for a 100% Digital Ghana.”

Richard Hlomador, CEO of K-NET Ltd. and Director and Vice President of NGIC, said,

“Thank you for joining us today. First, let’s applaud our Minister and the team for organizing this event. While we see this project as telecom infrastructure addressing the telecom deficit and promoting financial inclusion, its true impact lies in creating jobs, enhancing efficiency, improving business operations, and boosting our GDP. This is an opportunity for the youth to leverage this infrastructure for innovation, application development, and digital training.

This project is comparable to discovering a significant oil well—its benefits will extend beyond Ghana to all of Africa. I’m proud to be Ghanaian and excited about the immense potential this shared infrastructure holds. We’ve seen similar successes in India, and with our experience in building shared infrastructure, we can achieve the same here. Thank you for coming..”

Harkirit Singh, CEO, Ascend Digital and Executive Director, NGIC, said,

“NGIC intends to launch its wholesale 4G/ 5G Network-as-a-Service and make it available to all mobile network operators within the next six months. We have proven strengths of our partners – Radisys, Nokia, and TechM, to scale the network and deliver affordable mobile broadband services to all Ghanaians. We intend to gradually expand to other parts of Africa as well. We will tap the capital markets and bring in strategic investors as and when required.”

Mikko Lavanti, Senior Vice President, Middle East and Africa at Nokia, said,

“Ghana holds immense potential for mobile broadband growth on the back of an unmet demand for connectivity. Establishing an Open Access Network like NGIC will foster innovation and create numerous opportunities across various sectors. We are proud of our partnership with NGIC in helping Ghana realize its digital vision and unlock its full potential.”

Arun Bhikshesvaran, CEO, Radisys, said,

“Connectivity for all, through the use of open and disaggregated multi-access solutions, is a key component of Radisys’ initiatives to bridge the digital divide. By bringing Fixed Wireless Access alongside 4G and 5G cellular services to help drive economic growth and digital inclusion, Radisys looks forward to helping Ascend and NGIC build a disruptive and affordable shared broadband infrastructure across Ghana. In addition, our communications platform and digital applications will help create new digital experiences that empower the Ghanian community and foster sustainable and inclusive development.”

Manish Mangal, Chief Technology Officer, Telecom & Global Business Head, Network Services, Tech Mahindra, said,

“Our partnership with Next Gen Infra Co. is based on a shared vision for digital connectivity and providing Network-as-a-Service to innovate and bring cost efficiency to the telecom market in Ghana and Africa. Echoing our promise to scale at speed, we aim to rapidly advance operations by building a Cloud Native Core Network with leading OEM platforms combined with Tech Mahindra’s automation platform, netOps.ai. Together with NGIC, we will support the complete network infrastructure deployment and introduce high-speed 4G/5G services in the region.”

Mohamad Ghaddar, COO, Telecel Ghana, said,

“Telecel encourages initiatives like NGIC neutral and ‘Network-as-a-Service’ model, which will help create diverse network options for all telecom operators in Ghana. We are looking forward to the implementation of the NGIC model with the right partners, which will enable us to leverage their infrastructure to deliver enhanced connectivity, better coverage, and innovative services to our customers.”

Leo Skarlatos, CEO, AT Ghana, said,

“This partnership will enable us to leverage a neutral, shared platform and scale up our services across Ghana. We are confident that our customers will experience enhanced network quality and affordable services that they deserve. We look forward to working with NGIC and the MOCD, to contribute to the country’s digital transformation agenda.”

About Ascend Digital Solutions

Ascend Digital Solutions is transforming Africa’s digital landscape as the largest provider of shared neutral digital infrastructure. It focuses on bridging the digital divide and promoting financial inclusion by offering high-speed connectivity. In Ghana, Ascend’s initiatives include a rural wireless network program, connecting 3.4 million rural citizens, and a 100gbps digital backbone linking over 951 state-owned institutions. Partnering with the Ghanaian government, Ascend has improved national digital infrastructure, providing reliable, high-speed connectivity and cloud services. The company aims to expand this vision across Africa by collaborating with other governments. https://ascenddigitalsol.com

About K-NET

A Ghanaian telecommunications company that provides services to businesses and organizations in Africa, including telecommunications, broadcasting, and data hosting solutions. KNET was established in 1996 and serves clients across the West African sub-region. Their services include Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), Direct To Home (DTH), Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), Over The Top (OTT), satellite teleport, and satellite-terrestrial infrastructure. First to deploy rural telephone in Ghana with an award from ITU also cooperate wide area network and internet service provider and specialized in teleport service with the fist low cost IOT low bandwidth satellite service across west Africa. K-NET also powers all DDT sites with high power solar with serious savings on energy. https://www.knetgh.com

About Radisys

Radisys, a Jio Platforms company, is a global leader in open telecom solutions and digital services. Its disaggregated platforms and integration services leverage open reference architectures and standards combined with open software and hardware, enabling service providers to drive open digital transformation. Radisys offers an end-to-end solutions portfolio encompassing digital endpoints, to disaggregated and open access and core solutions, to immersive digital applications and engagement platforms. Its world-class and experienced network services organization with full stack of AI centric tools and systems that deliver end-to-end services across mobile, home and enterprise to help service providers build and operate highly scalable and high-performance networks at optimum total cost of ownership.

For more information, visit www.Radisys.com. Radisys® is a registered trademark of Radisys. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. https://www.radisys.com

About Nokia

At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together. As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future. https://www.nokia.com

About Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra (NSE: TECHM) offers technology consulting and digital solutions to global enterprises across industries, enabling transformative scale at unparalleled speed. With 145,000+ professionals across 70+ countries helping 1100+ clients, TechM provides a full spectrum of services including consulting, information technology, enterprise applications, business process services, engineering services, network services, customer experience & design services, AI & analytics, and cloud & infrastructure services. It is the first Indian company in the world to have been awarded the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Seal, in recognition of actively leading the charge to create a climate and nature-positive future. Tech Mahindra is part of the Mahindra Group, founded in 1945, one of the largest and most admired multinational federation of companies.

For more information on how TechM can partner with you to meet your scale at speed imperatives, please visit https://techmahindra.com. For more information on Tech Mahindra, please contact: Abhilasha Gupta, Global Head – Corporate Communications, Tech Mahindra. Email: Abhilasha.Gupta@TechMahindra.com media.relations@techmahindra.com

About Telecel Ghana

Telecel Ghana is part of the Telecel Group, a top-tier provider of digital and telecommunications solutions across the African continent. Telecel Ghana is the majority shareholder of Ghana Telecom Company Limited (GTCL) and joins Ghana’s telecom industry with extensive experience in telecommunication operations across Africa. Our goal is to deliver outstanding innovation on a global scale, coupled with highly responsive services. Our customer-centric operations are anchored on fostering connections with the community, private sector, and government. We recognize that the true potential of collective energy lies in the seamless fusion of diverse ideas and perspectives. Telecel thrives on the synergy that arises when our customers, employees, and partners converge their unique strengths. Everyone brings a distinct perspective, a spark of innovation that, when combined with others, ignites a powerful force that drives progress and unlocks boundless possibilities. https://telecel.com.gh

About AT Ghana

AT formally AirtelTigo is a solid, dynamic, and innovative brand, providing a wide range of telecommunications services, including mobile voice, data, mobile financial services, and business connectivity solutions to a wide range of consumer and business customers. With the credo of customer first, AT constantly innovates to make life simple for its customers. https://www.at.com.gh/home

About Next Gen Infraco

Next Gen Infraco (NGIC) is a 4G and 5G Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) operator, revolutionizing connectivity in Ghana and beyond. The Government of Ghana has awarded NGIC access to deploy 5G across the country, aiming to create a level playing field for all ecosystem players. Its high-speed, low-latency shared data network supports MNOs, OTTs, and ISPs in driving Ghana’s digital goals over the next decade. https://www.ngicgh.com.

For more information, write to: info@ngicgh.com