Scancom PLC (MTN Ghana) has received official notice from Ghana's National Communications Authority (NCA) awarding the operator key spectrum licences in the 700 MHz and 3 GHz mid-band frequencies, paving the way for the commercial deployment and expansion of 5G in the country.

The spectrum award was announced by parent company MTN Group via a corporate filing. It grants MTN Ghana 15-year licences across the two frequency bands, with a total acquisition fee of $202 million.

In detail, the 700 MHz band covers 2 lots (2×20 MHz) at a licence fee of $100.9 million, while the 3 GHz band covers 3 lots (3×50 MHz), providing 1×150 MHz of bandwidth, at a spectrum licence fee of $101.1 million. The pairing reflects standard 5G network design: low-band 700 MHz spectrum travels farther and penetrates buildings more easily, making it suited to broad geographic and indoor coverage, while 3 GHz mid-band spectrum carries the larger capacity loads associated with high-speed 5G data services in denser urban areas.

"MTN Ghana is currently finalising the required formalities and payment obligations associated with the licence acquisition," the group said in the statement, adding that "the licence payments have been incorporated into MTN Ghana's equity free cash flow outlook."

The company noted that the new frequency allocations will complement MTN Ghana's existing spectrum portfolio, enabling the operator to significantly increase network capacity, boost service quality, and drive the 5G network across the country's urban and rural communities. The additional spectrum capacity is expected to play a decisive role in expanding fixed wireless access and its "connect the home" services, and in delivering high-speed internet to Ghanaian consumers and enterprises.

The group cautioned that acquiring a spectrum licence is not the same as rollout, and indicated it will keep the market updated on key developments as deployment of the newly acquired spectrum gets underway.

By the time it deploys its 5G network in Ghana, MTN will have 5G network presence in seven African countries at group level, including South Africa, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Uganda, Congo-Brazzaville and Benin, with Nigeria being its largest 5G footprint.

MTN's licence award follows Ghana's decision to award a 5G licence to state-owned Telecel, which is set for rollout by December. The two operators' spectrum acquisitions come months after both entered the race for independent rights to build and deploy 5G networks in Ghana.

Last week, Telecel Ghana secured 2.3 GHz band spectrum, for an undisclosed fee, to accelerate its 5G rollout and expand mobile broadband capacity. Having secured all three bands it applied for, the partially state-owned telecom company will roll out the services by December 2026.

Before the auction, the Ghanaian government revoked the licence that had given Next Gen InfraCo (NGIC) exclusive rights to provide the network after the company fell short of its set target. The termination of NGIC's exclusive concession came eight years before its scheduled expiry in 2034. Its exclusive mandate had made NGIC the sole designated provider of the 5G network, in contrast to the operator-owned approach MTN and Telecel have now secured.

With MTN and Telecel holding their own 5G networks, both operators have the opportunity to offer high-speed internet to Ghana's more than 41 million telecom subscribers. The two companies will aim to lead the market while helping the government achieve its ambition of reaching 70% 5G population coverage by 2027 — the year the West African country turns 70. MTN has yet to announce its own rollout timetable, making its deployment milestones a key development to track as that target approaches.