The Minister for Communication and Digitalization, Madam Ursula Owusu Ekuful, has stated that a spectrum has been identified and a clear roadmap has been developed towards the full deployment of 5G technology in the country this year.
According to her, the process will address the imbalances within the communications industry while meeting consumer demand for high speed internet, facilitating the introduction or expansion of technology to improve access to education, healthcare, agriculture and intelligent transport systems among others.
She maintained that enabling the deployment of high speed internet data services will support the Government of Ghana’s Digital Transformation Agenda and facilitate the introduction of innovative products and services.
“I expect the NCA to announce the modalities for the deployment of 5G services shortly” she stated.
Addressing stakeholders in the telecommunications industry gathered at the University for Development Studies auditorium in Tamale on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, for the National Communications Authority Consumer Forum, on the theme: “Safeguarding Consumer Rights through Effective Communications”, the Minister said Ghana’s Digital Transformation Agenda is expected to increase demand for and reliance on high speed internet services.
In view of this, she said it is therefore essential to make provision for the deployment of the next generation of advanced mobile technologies, i.e. 5G to support the national digitalisation agenda and to satisfy the growing consumer demand for data services.
“In this regard, that the Government has decided that the best way to ensure equitable use of the spectrum for the deployment of 5G is to establish a shared neutral infrastructure for rapid 5G rollout in the country” the Ablekuma West Legislator stressed.
The Communications Minister said while consumers enjoy the usage of these services, vulnerabilities within the space cannot be overlooked and recounted the recent internet outage, which served as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities that can affect communication infrastructure.
“While such unprecedented incidents are regrettable, they underscore the need for resilience, redundancy, and proactive measures to mitigate risks” she posited.
“I assure the general public that under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, the NCA will endeavour to seek and implement forward looking measures that will safeguard the use of and our adoption of digital solutions” she assured.
