The National Communications Authority (NCA) has removed the condition in Next Gen InfraCo Limited’s (NGIC) licence that granted the company exclusive rights to operate as Ghana’s sole provider of wholesale 5G infrastructure, in a move aimed at opening the market to greater competition and investment.
The amendment, which takes effect from Wednesday July 15, 2026, revises NGIC’s Wholesale Electronic Communications Infrastructure (Telecommunications) Licence but leaves all other provisions of the licence intact, including the company’s spectrum assignment.
In a statement, the regulator said the exclusivity provision was originally introduced as part of the regulatory framework to support the rollout of a national wholesale 5G network.
According to the NCA, developments in the telecommunications sector have made a competitive wholesale 5G market more beneficial to Ghana’s digital economy.
“As the telecommunications market has evolved, however, the Authority has concluded that the public interest is better served by a competitive wholesale 5G market that promotes investment, innovation, network resilience, service quality and wider access to advanced communications services,” the statement said.
The Authority explained that its decision followed a regulatory process during which NGIC was given the opportunity to respond to the proposed amendment.
According to the statement, the NCA issued a Notice of Proposed Amendment to NGIC on March 2, 2026, met with the company on March 18, received its Statement of Objections on April 1 and later allowed the company to make oral representations before the Governing Board on May 28.
“After carefully considering NGIC’s written and oral representations, the Authority concluded that it was in the public interest to remove the exclusivity condition from the Licence,” the NCA stated.
The regulator stressed that the amendment applies only to the exclusivity clause and does not affect the validity of the remainder of NGIC’s licence.
“NGIC therefore retains all its other rights and obligations under the Licence, including its spectrum assignment,” the statement added.
The NCA said it exercised its powers under Article 6.1.2 of NGIC’s licence and Section 14 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775), which empowers the Authority to amend licence conditions in the public interest.
The regulator expects the policy change to encourage greater competition in Ghana’s wholesale 5G market, attract more investment, foster innovation, improve network resilience and service quality, and accelerate the country’s digital transformation agenda.
