Ghana's National Communications Authority (NCA) has opened competitive bidding for 15-year 5G spectrum licences with reserve prices of up to $36 million per lot, dismantling the wholesale-only network model it granted to Next Gen Infraco (NGIC) just two years ago.

On 16 July 2026, the regulator issued its "Request for Applications for Spectrum Licences in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz Mid Bands for the Provision of Mobile Broadband Services, Including 5G." Each licence awarded under the process runs for fifteen years from its effective date, subject to compliance with licence conditions and applicable regulations.

The financial framework sets a floor of $36 million for each lot in the 700 MHz band, $10 million for each lot in the 2.3 GHz band and $24 million for each lot in the 3 GHz band. In total, the NCA is offering three paired 2×10 MHz lots at 700 MHz, five 20 MHz lots at 2.3 GHz and three 50 MHz lots at 3 GHz. If every lot clears at its reserve price, the state collects roughly $230 million.

The auction reverses the most consequential spectrum policy decision Ghana has taken in recent years. In 2024, authorities granted NGIC — a venture backed by Reliance Industries — exclusive rights to operate a wholesale 5G network for ten years, a structure several market players criticised as excessively concentrated. The NCA amended NGIC's wholesale licence on the eve of publishing the application request, citing the public interest as justification for opening the 5G market to wider competition. NGIC lodged objections during the process, but the regulator held its ground. The NCA says the new auction design follows an internal review of Ghana's 5G deployment framework and opens spectrum access to multiple mobile operators rather than a single infrastructure provider.

Incumbents are moving quickly. MTN Group and Telecel are preparing bids across the lots on offer in a market where MTN remains dominant. But dominance carries a cost: because MTN Ghana carries a formal Significant Market Power designation, the NCA imposes a 40% premium on reserve prices in the 700 MHz and 3 GHz bands for the operator. MTN would pay $50.4 million per 700 MHz lot and $33.6 million per 3 GHz lot, against $36 million and $24 million respectively for other applicants. The regulator also caps the amount of spectrum a single operator can acquire to prevent concentration of key bands in one network's hands.

The timetable leaves little room for manoeuvre. Applications close on 6 August 2026, the highest financial offers will be published on 20 August and winners are expected on 28 August — licences awarded within roughly six weeks of the call opening. Successful applicants must demonstrate both technical and financial capacity to roll out high-speed networks quickly, covering major urban centres as well as rural areas.

The multi-band structure lets operators arbitrate between coverage and capacity. The 700 MHz lots, carrying the highest reserve prices, deliver wide-area coverage and indoor penetration, while the 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz lots offer capacity for dense urban areas and high-throughput use cases.

The policy shift also carries weight for lenders and investors. The NCA's 2024-2028 strategic plan identifies spectrum release for 5G as a priority to support data traffic growth and quality of service in a market where mobile broadband usage is rising fast. The published price grid and 15-year licence term give operators clearer visibility on cash flows than the NGIC arrangement ever did.

Ghana's Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has called for a "balanced" spectrum pricing policy so that nationwide 5G coverage can be achieved without undermining operators' long-term investment capacity. The government is targeting around 70% 5G population coverage by 2027, and whether that timeline holds will depend largely on how the auction plays out through the final week of August.