Billionaire Mukesh Ambani To Enter Telecom Business In Africa

Radysis, a company controlled by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, will expand into Africa by providing affordable 5G network infrastructure, applications and smartphones to Ghana-based Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), according to an announcement on Monday.

Radisys, a subsidiary of Ambani’s Jio Platforms, will collaborate with the Government of Ghana, 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, as Jio did in India.

NGIC, which has secured a 5G license, plans to launch services nationwide within the next six months and then expand into other African countries.

“By bringing Fixed Wireless Access alongside 4G and 5G cellular services to help drive economic growth and digital inclusion, Radisys looks forward to helping Ascend and NGIC build a disruptive and affordable shared broadband infrastructure across Ghana,” Arun Bhikshesvaran, CEO of Radisys, said in a statement.

This year, NGIC plans to offer affordable 5G smartphones through its partners to enhance the lives of people in Ghana and provide digital services in education, healthcare and payments.

“The creation of NGIC as a neutral, shared platform, accessible to all mobile network operators and tower companies, will help to expand 5G services rapidly across the country,” Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, Ghana’s Minister for Communications and Digitalization, said in a statement. “We are inspired by India’s digital infrastructure and low-cost mobile data usage and keen to replicate it in Ghana.”

Reliance Jio Infocomm, Ambani’s mobile operator in India, has been a driving force behind India’s rapid growth in internet users thanks to its affordable smartphones, digital platforms and localized content and applications. As the country’s largest cellular operator, Reliance Jio ended last year with over 470 million subscribers.

Ambani topped Forbes Asia’s list of India’s 100 Richest released last October with a net worth of $92 billion. Beyond its telecommunications business, Reliance Industries has interests in oil and gas, petrochemicals, retail and other industries.