Ghana’s quest to embrace 5G technology is facing a major hurdle due to the country’s power crisis, which could undermine the seamless operation of the network.
“The current power outages will degrade the quality of service for 5G users, resulting in slower data speeds, dropped calls, and communication disruptions,” said Kwesi Atuahene, Executive Director of the Africa Center for Digital Transformation (ACDT).
In a statemen, Atuahene emphasized that “a constant supply of electricity will be necessary for the operation of 5G base stations and data centers. Power outages can cause network downtime and service interruptions, which have an impact on user connectivity.”
He warned that “the power crisis could lead to another avenue for corruption if not addressed promptly” and urged the government to “focus its immediate efforts on upgrading and expanding electricity infrastructure to improve reliability and reduce the frequency of power outages.”
Atuahene also called for the exploration of renewable energy solutions and strengthening the capacity and efficiency of backup power systems for 5G network infrastructure.
“We recognize the importance of addressing the power crisis to ensure the successful implementation of 5G telephony services by Next Gen InfraCo. We seek to draw the attention of the government of Ghana to immediately prioritize this issue,” he said.