MTN's Ghana 5G ambitions collide with xenophobia fallout back home

MTN's Ghana bid lands amid a diplomatic firestorm: Ghana rejected a state visit from President Ramaphosa this month after xenophobic violence in South Africa killed a Ghanaian national and prompted roughly 1,000 Ghanaians to flee home. Anti-MTN sentiment has flared in Ghana whenever such attacks make headlines, with MTN chairman Mcebisi Jonas issuing an unusually blunt condemnation, calling xenophobia a symptom of governance failure. With MTN already dominating 80% of Ghana's data market, regulators wary of entrenching "significant market power" now have added political cover — and public anger — to justify a tougher line on the Johannesburg-based carrier's 5G bid..By Loni Prinsloo, Yinka Ibukun and P R Sanjai.MTN Group Ltd. and Telecel Group are preparing to bid for 5G licenses in Ghana after the government ends the exclusive rights of a state-backed wholesale provider that partnered with Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s firm.The African wireless carriers plan to bid in a 5G license auction expected to begin within weeks, MTN Ghana Chief Executive Officer Stephen Blewett and Telecel Group CEO Moh Damush told Bloomberg. The auction follows the government’s decision to revoke the exclusive concession granted to Next Gen Infraco before its scheduled 2034 expiry. Radisys Corp., a unit of Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Ltd., had been selected to provide the network infrastructure.Communications Minister Sam George, who took office in 2025, previously said the government would open the licensing process to competition because of the slow rollout of 5G. He declined to comment further when reached by Bloomberg. In March, the National Communications Authority said it was moving to scrap the license. Its Director-General Edmund Fianko declined to comment further when contacted by Bloomberg. .The previous communications minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, had hoped that in partnering with Radisys, NGIC would emulate the success of the provider’s sister-company, Jio Platforms Ltd.The Indian telecommunications company, which is preparing for an initial public offering that could raise as much as $4 billion, according to people familiar with the matter, is credited with making mobile data more affordable in the world’s most populous nation. In Ghana, by contrast, the underfunded NGIC has struggled to roll out 5G, with just 49 sites operational as of March, well short of the government’s target of 1,200 by 2027..MTN Group rolls out R160m share rewards for top executives.Radisys Corp. didn’t respond to emailed questions and a Reliance Industries spokesperson declined to comment.Ghana now plans to expand 5G coverage to 70% of the population by March 2027 through a mix of wholesale and operator-led networks, as it seeks to catch up with regional peers. GSMA Intelligence describes the target as “ambitious” in a forthcoming report. And forecasts that if the West African nation launches commercial 5G services soon, population coverage will reach 7% by year-end, compared with 22% in Nigeria, 38% in Kenya and more than 60% in South Africa.For smaller operators, it’s also about staying competitive in a market dominated by the Johannesburg-based MTN. Ghana’s 35 million people are served by two main operators: MTN, which accounts for 80% of data subscribers, and Telecel, which bought the local operation of Vodafone Group Plc and offers roaming services to subscribers at AT, a debt-ridden rival.“It’s critical for the government to ensure that the auction is not conducted on the basis of the highest bidder,” Telecel’s Damush said. “That will exacerbate the advantages of significant market power and will not foster a proper competitive environment.”.© 2026 Bloomberg L.P..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here. Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

MTN's Ghana 5G ambitions collide with xenophobia fallout back home

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