Govt to Ensure Vodafone Access 4g Spectrum - Veep

Government will do everything possible to ensure Vodafone is able to deploy 4G spectrum for the benefit of its customers and Ghanaians, Vice President Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia has said.

In his keynote address at the 10-year anniversary dinner of Vodafone Ghana held in Accra, Vice President Bawumia said: "Some of the concerns expressed by Vodafone, have been around the need for government to make available reasonably priced LTE spectrum to empower the company to deliver maximum quality service to its customers."

"We have taken the concerns on board and we will do everything within our power to make spectrum available for the benefit of Ghanaians. For me, making spectrum available to Vodafone should be seen as ensuring that government makes returns on its 30 per cent shareholding in the company," he said.

The news is expected to excite customers and stakeholders of the telecom company, who have been waiting with bated breath for the deployment of 4G spectrum to enhance their user experience.

In December 2015, the telecoms regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA) auctioned two blocks of 800MHz bands of LTE Spectrum at a reserve price of US$67.5m and invited telecom companies to bid.

However, only one company participated in the auction for one block at the reserve price, while the others abstained.

Vodafone was emphatic at the time that the spectrum was overpriced and has, since, been in talks with government to reach an appreciable price in order to access the remaining block.

However, despite several engagements and arrangements submitted to the regulator on the way forward, the matter is still a long way off from being resolved.

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