Questions swirl over little-known company shortlisted for Ghana’s 5G spectrum licence
Questions have emerged regarding the eligibility of Goal Telecommunications, a newly formed company, to participate in Ghana's 5G spectrum licensing process. Industry observers are concerned about the company's lack of track record and transparency.
Why it matters
The integrity of telecommunications licensing processes is critical for national infrastructure development and fair market competition.
Questions are being raised over how a company incorporated only this year, with no publicly known track record in telecommunications, has qualified to proceed to the next stage of Ghana’s 5G spectrum licensing process.
The National Communications Authority (NCA) announced on Wednesday (9 September) that three of the four applicants for spectrum licences in the 700MHz, 2.3GHz and 3GHz bands had passed its eligibility review and technical qualification assessment.
The successful applicants are Scancom Plc (MTN Ghana), Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited (Telecel Ghana) and Goal Telecommunications Ltd. The fourth applicant, Infrava Ltd, was disqualified.
While MTN Ghana and Telecel Ghana are established telecommunications operators, the inclusion of Goal Telecommunications has set tongues wagging within industry circles.
Checks conducted so far indicate that Goal Telecommunications was registered only this year. It has no readily identifiable website, publicly disclosed operational history or known track record in Ghana’s telecommunications industry.
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