NCA Awards MTN Ghana 700MHz Spectrum for $109.9 Million
Ghana's National Communications Authority has awarded a 700MHz spectrum licence to MTN Ghana for $109.9 million, a band widely used to underpin 5G-enabling coverage. The award represents a concrete infrastructure milestone following the NCA's tightened 5G rollout regulations reported on September 11.
Ghana Spectrum: MTN paid the premium and won anyway
Ghana's regulator charged MTN a 40% price premium specifically to stop the company — which already holds over 60% of mobile internet connections — from locking in that same dominance for the 5G era.
MTN still walked away with the maximum two lots in the 700MHz band for $109.9 million. Nobody else qualified.
The premium made it more expensive. It didn't make it competitive. That's the uncomfortable read: the most meaningful 5G spectrum in Ghana just landed exactly where the regulator was trying to prevent it from landing — with the one operator that least needed it.
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- NCA awards 700MHz spectrum to MTN Ghana for US$109.9m · myjoyonline.com · T3