Government to upgrade all rural telephony sites to 4G – Communications Minister

The government is set to upgrade all Rural Telephony Project (RTP) sites across the country to at least 4G as part of efforts to close Ghana’s digital connectivity gap and improve access to modern telecommunications services in underserved communities. Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George said the move was necessary as 2G and 3G technologies were increasingly inadequate for the demands of modern digital services, particularly as global telecommunications systems advance towards 5G and 6G. He said the upgrade would form part of a broader review of the Rural Telephony Project to be presented to Cabinet.

“The world has moved to 5G, getting to 6G, so at the very least we must give 4G to our networks,” he said. Mr George added that government intended to treat telecommunications infrastructure as a critical component of national development, alongside investments in roads, schools and hospitals. The Minister disclosed this after inspecting RTP and other telecommunications sites in the Eastern Region, including facilities at Dumpong, Nkumkrom, Nsakye and Obosono, as well as an ongoing cell site at the Koforidua lorry terminal.

He said about GH¢30 million had been allocated to rural telephony projects under the GIFEC budget this year, while work was also underway to expand network infrastructure and improve connectivity in peri-urban and underserved communities. Ghana’s rural communities could begin enjoying cheaper calls and data services by the end of the first quarter of 2027, Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George has announced. The government is reviewing the current charging arrangements on rural telephony networks to allow subscribers to use their existing voice and data bundles when connected to rural telephony sites.

The measure is expected to address what the Minister described as an unfair situation in which services in some rural areas cost more than in urban communities. Mr George said the Ministry is working with the National Communications Authority (NCA), the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and mobile network operators to implement the necessary changes. He said a policy directive had already been issued to reverse the current arrangement, with the NCA engaging telecom operators on the required technical integration.

“We have rural telephony largely in our rural communities and when you look at those communities, the economic ability is not like that of the urban area, but call and data on the rural telephony is more expensive than the urban area. It makes no sense to me,” he said during a tour of rural telephony sites in the Eastern Region. The Minister also announced plans to upgrade rural telephony sites to at least 4G, arguing that communities should not continue to depend largely on 2G and 3G connectivity when Ghana is advancing towards 5G technology.

Government has allocated about GH¢30 million to rural telephony under the 2026 GIFEC budget, with US$400,000 earmarked for immediate remedial works on 20 sites. Mr George said about 1,400 rural telephony sites are currently carrying traffic, while another 300 completed sites are awaiting connection to donor sites. He further disclosed that major network expansion was underway, with MTN deploying 800 new sites and Telecel expected to deploy about 350.