The Ghanaian National Communications Authority (NCA) extended the licensing of additional temporary spectrum to MTN and Vodafone, as the regulator predicts a surge in mobile traffic.
In a statement, the NCA said in anticipation of another “spike in consumer demand” during the country’s election period and festive season, on top of increased demands brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The extra spectrum has been made available to MTN and Vodafone at no charge from the regulator in order to prevent congestion and keep costs reasonable to consumers”, said the NCA.
The regulator awarded the 5MHz of spectrum in April, when lockdown measures catalysed increased traffic in Ghana.
The authority noted it made its decisions after advice from former Minister for Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, advising the NCA to allocate the 5MHz spectrum to network operators to boost their capacity to handle election period demand. “We thank him and wish to inform him and the general public that, such measure had already been implemented”, the body stated.
