Ghana - Telecoms Infrastructure, Operators, Regulations - Statistics and Analyses

Synopsis

Ghana was one of the first countries in Africa to liberalise and deregulate its telecommunications sector. Following the privatisation of Ghana Telecom in 1996 there was very rapid growth in market competition across the mobile and internet sectors, with a number of new players being licensed to offer services. Ghana Telecom was acquired by the Vodafone Group in 2009 and rebranded as Vodafone Ghana. It is the principal fixed-line provider and also the third largest player in the mobile services sector, after MTN and the recently merged AirtelTigo.

International submarine cables and new terrestrial cables have improved internet capacity, which in turn has reduced access pricing for end-users. These developments, combined with the roll out of national fibre backbone networks by a number of players, and supported by several government-funded schemes, are continuing to revolutionise the country’s broadband market and pave the way for the convergence of technologies and services. This has been indicated by the regulator’s intention to replace 2G licences expiring in 2019 with universal access licences, enabling licensees to offer both fixed and mobile offers. In addition, the launch of LTE services by Vodafone Ghana and the extension of LTE-A services by MTN Ghana during 2019 have greatly improved service quality for end-users. This has been reflected in a number of areas, including the strong m-commerce and m-banking sectors.

Key developments:

Eastern Corridor project completed;
Government planning launch of the Ghanasat 1 satellite in 2020;
Ghana Investment Fund sets out national telecom coverage goals;
Report update includes the regulator’s market data to September 2018, telcos’ operating data to Q4 2018, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Vodafone Ghana, Telkom Malaysia, Telenor, Bharti Airtel (Zain/Celtel, Westel), Capital Telecom, Globacom, Main One, VoltaCom, Phase3 Telecom, Suburban Telecom.

Table of Contents

Key statistics
Country overview
Telecommunications market

Market analysis

Regional Africa Market Comparison

TMI vs GDP
Mobile and mobile broadband
Fixed and mobile broadband

Regulatory environment

Regulatory authority
West African Common Regulatory Framework 2005
Competition framework 2006
Electronic Communications Act
Electronic Transaction Act
Universal service
Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL)

The eCARE project

Telecom sector liberalisation
Fixed-line licence conditions

Fixed network operators

Vodafone Ghana

Privatisation
Network infrastructure

Airtel Ghana (Zain, Westel)

Nationalisation 2006
Re-privatisation 2007

Capital Telecom (defunct)

Telecommunications infrastructure

Overview of the national telecom network
Fibre backbone infrastructure
Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
International infrastructure

Submarine fibre optic cables
Satellite services

Data centres

Digital Economy

E-commerce
E-government, e-Ghana project
E-learning
E-health

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List of Tables

Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities – Ghana – 2018
Table 2 – Fixed-line subscribers by operator – 2011 – 2018
Table 3 – Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 1999 – 2009
Table 4 – Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2010 – 2018
Table 5 – International bandwidth – 2001 – 2016

List of Charts

Chart 1 – Overall Africa view - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita – 2018
Chart 2 – West Africa - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita – 2018
Chart 3 – Africa – Top-tier Telecoms Maturity Index (Market Leaders) – 2018
Chart 4 – West Africa –Telecoms Maturity Index by country – 2018
Chart 5 – West Africa mobile subscriber penetration versus mobile broadband penetration – 2018
Chart 6 – West Africa fixed and mobile penetration rates – 2018
Chart 7 - Fixed lines in service and teledensity – 2005 – 2018

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
Exhibit 2 – West Africa - Key Characteristics of Telecoms Markets by Country

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Licence Information

Focus Report Profile

Technologies

Broadband Fixed
Companies (Major Players)
Regulations & Government Policies
Strategies & Analyses (Industry & Markets)
Telecoms Infrastructure

Number of pages 51

Status Current

Last updated 1 Apr 2019
Update History

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

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