Telecoms & IT
From The Report: Ghana 2014
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Ghana’s telecommunications industry is mostly driven by activity in the mobile segment. But the business also has a high level of competition that benefits from a liberalised market regime and a robust regulatory framework. The sector is crowded, with six operators in the lower to-middle-income country of 25m people, but this has not stopped operators from rolling out new infrastructure and services. While operators are confronted with cost and operational pressures, Ghana’s scope for growth in data and value-added services is high, and a clear and robust regulatory regime ensures an even playing field for the nation’s six operators. Meanwhile, the coming on-stream of five submarine cables has added considerable broadband capacity and allowed the operators to expand their networks and range of services. Indeed, access over the past half decade has dramatically improved with the landing of undersea fibre links and the introduction of wireless and 3G – and more recently 4G – technologies.

This chapter contains interviews with Paarock VanPercy, Director-General, National Communication Authority (NCA); and Neal Hansch, Managing Director, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Incubator.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Expanding subscribership and basic infrastructure make the market ripe for investment
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Mirroring the trend throughout Africa, Ghana’s telecommunications industry is mostly driven by activity in the mobile segment. But the business also has a high level of competition that benefits from a liberalised market regime and a robust regulatory framework. The sector is crowded, with six operators in the lower to-middle-income country of 25m people, but this has not stopped operators from rolling out new infrastructure and services. Changes Recently, however, signs have pointed to price…

Analysis

The introduction of 4G is set to bring increased speeds and data use
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In February 2013 Ghana issued three new broadband wireless access licences to three local companies: Surf Line, Gold Key Properties and G-Kwik. Costing $6m each and initially valid for 10 years, after which time they will be subject to a renewal fee, the licences were allocated for long-term evolution (LTE) spectrum in the 2500-MHz to 2690-MHz band. They also come with the stipulation that the licensees launch commercial 4G services by November 2014, with a medium-term requirement that 50% of the…

Interview

OBG talks to Paarock VanPercy, Director-General, National Communication Authority (NCA)
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Interview:Paarock VanPercy What are the main challenges facing the transition from analogue to digital TV broadcasting? PAAROCK VANPERCY: Ghana signed on to the Geneva 2006 agreement to switch from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 17, 2015. Currently, each of our TV stations uses a bandwidth of about 8 MHz. The beauty of the transition is that digital transmission provides more efficient use of the spectrum; in fact, all TV stations will be able to use the same 8 MHz band. This means…

Overview

The expansion of bandwidth, fibre optics and tower sharing is facilitating the roll-out of new initiatives
OBG
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While in the past broadband uptake within Ghana was constrained by a limited national fixed-line network and high connectivity costs, access over the past half decade has dramatically improved with the landing of undersea fibre links and the introduction of wireless and 3G – and more recently 4G – technologies. The cables have made bandwidth speeds and prices far more attractive. By the end of 2013, the number of internet users in Ghana had reached over 2m, from only a handful at the turn of…

Analysis

Support grows for the incubation of new businesses
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The success of start-ups in driving the US technology sector has spawned a raft of attempts elsewhere in the world to emulate that growth. Ghana is working to foster an environment that helps encourage entrepreneurial activity in the tech sector, with some success. While connectivity constraints and research access are often cited as a significant barrier for tech start-ups in Africa, Ghana’s possession of some of the continent’s fastest and most affordable bandwidth, and a number of dedicated…

Interview

OBG talks to Neal Hansch, Managing Director, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Incubator
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Interview:Neal Hansch What can be done to create an enabling environment for information technology start-ups? NEAL HANSCH: Incubators have limited capacity and can only train a certain number of people, so it is all about the ecosystem and support system. We are finding, in a lot of emerging markets, that the corporate, legal and tax structure is not set up to support ICT start-ups. Key elements of a support system are lacking in many emerging markets – things native to the start-up world…