CEO of MTN Ghana, Mr Selorm Adadevoh has said that the telecom giant will need spectrum to be able to migrate into the 5G service.
He told jourlaists in Accra that next year MTN will be piloting the 5G service in the country.
“It is really about providing spectrum to be able to deliver that service as opposed to investment.
“Spectrum is a government resource so once it is made available, the next step will be acquiring that and taking that forward so at this point it is really about ensuring that there is spectrum to be able to migrate into 5G when the time is right,” he said.
Evolution of Mobile Cellular Technologies
The First Generation (1G) wireless mobile technology was analogue which was launched in Ghana in March 1991. It enabled customers to make voice calls on a hand-held telephone while on the move, an improvement over stationary telephone sets.
It was soon followed by Second Generation (2G) digital mobile technology which, in addition to voice calls, enabled Text Messaging (SMS) and a very limited amount of data to be sent over the Internet although it was rather slow.
Further innovations led to the introduction of Third Generation (3G) mobile technology enabling mobile Internet access and browsing, and transmission of images and videos at substantial speeds to facilitate messaging, video calling and mobile television.
Fourth generation (4G) came with even faster internet data speeds to improve the consumer experience. Operators in Ghana continue to expand access to both 3G and 4G technology.
The fifth generation (5G) is the next generation of mobile technology which has not yet been deployed in Ghana. However, it promises significantly higher internet data speeds which will enable innovative products and services in agriculture, transportation, education, health, security and commerce.
All generations of mobile cellular technology (1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G) operate on radio frequencies (RF). These frequencies are not visible, but they exist in the atmosphere; they are what enable radio and television stations to transmit news and information to us. They generate non-ionizing radiation which pose no harm to human beings.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana