The Federal Communications Commission has confirmed the start of its first high-band 5G spectrum auction reports Telecompaper.com. Bidding starts with the 28 GHz band and then will go to the 24 GHz band, with a total of 1.55 GHz of spectrum available for operators. These are expected to be among the first frequencies used for commercial 5G mobile services and are already being tested by the US's largest mobile operator, Verizon.

The US regulator confirmed that another auction of high spectrum is planned for 2019, covering the 37 GHz, 39 GHz and 47 GHz mmWave bands. In total, the FCC aims to release almost 5 GHz of spectrum to the market in the next 15 months - equal to more than all the spectrum currently used by mobile operators today.

The auction of the licenses in the 28 GHz band will employ the standard simultaneous multiple round auction format.  The 28 GHz licenses will be offered in two 425 MHz blocks by county.

The auction of the 24 GHz band will employ a clock auction format, beginning with a clock phase that will allow bidding on generic blocks in each Partial Economic Area in successive bidding rounds. There will then be an assignment phase to allow winners of the generic blocks to bid for frequency-specific license assignments. The 24 GHz licenses will be offered in seven 100 MHz blocks.

Source:Telecompaper.com

Telecommunications companies have expressed worry about the alarming rates of thievery, fiber cuts and vandalism of their properties.

According to them, more than 250 cases of vandalism have been recorded in the half of 2018.

Additionally, 130,000 litres of diesel, 25,000 litres of fire extinguishers, 600 batteries and 55 air conditioners have been stolen in the first half this year.

Each fiber cut, they say, costs about GH₵ 13,000 to repair – a situation that Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications said is negatively affecting the performance of telecom operators.

These concerns came to light at the 11 th Knowledge Forum organized in Accra yesterday dubbed ‘Improving Customer Experience by Safeguarding Telecoms Infrastructure’.

Private developers were identified as leaders in destruction of telco properties with the road contractors following closely. Other companies equally guilty were names as Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Railway and many mining companies.

Mr. Derek Laryea, Research and Communications Manager of Telecoms Chamber, who presented the findings, said even though network operators are working to find solutions, the success rate has not improved.

The Chamber is, therefore, appealing to the general public to play the role of citizen vigilantes to curb the alarming situation.

Source: The Finder

The First batch of the MTN Mobile Money promo winners have received cash prizes, iPhone X, Samsung S9+, Samsung TV sets for earning higher points on their wallets.

The ultimate winner took home iPhone X, the second winner received Samsung S9+ whiles the third winner carried home a 49 inch Samsung tv set. Others took home Ghc 2000, Ghc1000 and Ghc 500 cash prizes.

Speaking at the ceremony, the General Manager of Mobile Financial Services, MTN, Mr. Eli Hini said the first presentation is a reward for those who emerged winners for the month of August.

He indicated that rewards remain a good way to encourage loyalty and drive participation.

“This is one of the reasons why MTN comes up with exciting promos during the MoMo Month to drive the broader national agenda of a cashlite economy,” Mr. Hini stated.

He noted that 250 customers will be rewarded with various prizes including iPhone X, Samsung s9+, Samsung TV sets, e-cash and many more.

Mr. Eli Hini added that over the next two months, more than 500 MTN Ghana customers will be rewarded for participating in the MoMo Month promo.

According to him, the promo, which will run for three months is a transaction driven and points based which started on 1st August.

Mr. Hini stressed that MTN Ghana organised the MoMo Month to drive awareness about the importance of the digital payments while exciting customers with promos and rewards.

He intimated that many more Ghanaians will also have the opportunity to know about and register to be on Ghana's most secure payment platform MTN MoMo.

According to him, digital financial services are increasingly playing a central role in our efforts at ensuring financial inclusion across all sectors - be it formal or informal.

“MTN Ghana is therefore committed to leading in the delivery of a bold new digital world by churning out innovative products and services. Today, we proudly boast of the many partnerships that is driving digital payments, from NFC payments at shopping centers, bill and salary payments, micro-insurance and peer to peer payments,” he emphasized.

Source:Ghanaweb

MTN Ghana has recorded a strong performance in its third-quarter revenue driven by its mobile money (MoMo) service, the South African mobile firm said on Friday.

MTN Group said the unit’s Q3 revenue grew around 23% boosted, MoMo, a platform which allows money transfer and payments using a mobile phone in Ghana, Reuters quoted a statement from the company.

In its report scheduled for release on Monday, October 29, 2018, revenue for the nine months ended 30 September 2018 rose to 3.54 billion Ghanaian cedis ($731.90 million) from 2.49 billion Ghanaian cedis during the same period a year ago.

During the quarter, MTN Ghana’s service revenue grew 22.9%, its data revenue increased by 30.9% and digital revenue rose by 28%.
Ghana market contributed to MTN half-year strong performance

In its half-year financial statement released on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, the African phone firm recorded an improved financial report for led by growth in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

In the period, growth in EBITDA in Ghana went up by 13.6%, its strongest performance across Africa after the Nigerian unit.

Rob Shuter, MTN Group president and CEO, had said the company posted an encouraging first half of 2018, with an acceleration in the second quarter, supported by an improved operational performance across many markets led by Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

Source:Pulse.com.gh