Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, spoke at an event in Mumbai in March.
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A company called Radisys Indian billionaires rule Mukesh Ambaniis set to expand into Africa by providing affordable 5G network infrastructure, applications and smartphones to a Ghana-based next generation infrastructure company (NGIC), the research firm said in a statement. announcement on monday.
Radisys, a subsidiary of Ambani’s Jio Platforms, will work with the Ghanaian government, Ascend Digital, K-NET, Nokia, Tech Mahindra and mobile operators AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana to help NGIC build the first 5G network infrastructure across Ghana to provide affordable mobile internet, like Jio has done in India.
With the 5G license, NGIC plans to launch services nationwide within the next six months and then expand to other African countries.
“Radisys looks forward to helping Ascend and NGIC build an innovative, affordable shared broadband infrastructure across Ghana by providing fixed wireless access alongside 4G and 5G cellular services to drive economic growth and digital inclusion,” Radisys CEO Arun Bikshesvaran said in a statement.
NGIC plans to provide affordable 5G smartphones through its partners this year to improve the lives of Ghanaians and provide digital services in the areas of education, healthcare and payments.
“Establishing the NGIC as a neutral shared platform accessible to all mobile network operators and tower companies will help rapidly expand 5G services across the country,” Ghana’s Minister of Communications and Digitalization Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said in a statement. “We are inspired by India’s digital infrastructure and low-cost mobile data access and are eager to replicate it in Ghana.”
Ambani’s Indian mobile operator, Reliance Jio Infocomm, is helping power India’s rapid internet growth with affordable smartphones, digital platforms and localized content and applications. Reliance Jio, India’s largest mobile operator, had more than 470 million subscribers by the end of last year.
Ambani topped Forbes Asia’s list of India’s 100 richest people, released in October, with a net worth of $92 billion. Besides telecommunications, Reliance Industries also has interests in oil and gas, petrochemicals and retail.
