July 2026

Telecel Ghana, through the Telecel Ghana Foundation, has donated essential neonatal medical equipment to the Kumasi South Hospital and signed a two-year agreement to adopt the hospital’s Mother and Baby Unit. The donation includes two Firefly Phototherapy Units, a Wall Baby Radiant Warmer, and an Infant Digital Weighing Scale to support the treatment and care of newborns, especially premature babies and those with complications.

As part of the partnership, Telecel will renovate the Mother and Baby Unit, provide essential consumables, and improve the facility to create a safer and more baby-friendly environment for patients and healthcare workers. Telecel Ghana CEO Patricia Obo-Nai said the initiative reflects the company’s commitment to improving newborn health outcomes and supporting healthcare professionals. Hospital officials and representatives from the Ghana Health Service commended the initiative, describing it as a sustainable investment that will strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare.

The donation marked the climax of Telecel Ghana’s month-long Ashanti Month celebration, which featured initiatives in healthcare, digital skills development, youth empowerment, financial inclusion, and customer engagement. Highlights included the launch of the Telecel Ashanti Codes digital skills programme, sponsorship of the Otumfuo Open Golf Tournament, a retailer forum for mobile money agents, community health screenings through HealthFest, and the Telecel Cashless Bazaar. Collectively, the initiatives underscore Telecel Ghana’s commitment to supporting long-term community development across the Ashanti Region.

Source : www.myjoyonline.com

Ghana’s National Information Technology Agency (NITA) has outlined how its proposed Ghana Electronic Document Wallet (GEDW) will work, allowing citizens to securely access digital versions of documents such as the Ghana Card, driver’s licence, tax records, and other official credentials. Rather than storing the documents directly on users’ phones, the wallet will hold encrypted references, while the original records remain with the issuing institutions. Citizens will be able to securely share verified documents with banks, employers, and other organizations through a consent-based process designed to take only seconds.

The platform will rely on Ghana’s existing Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which enables every digital document to be digitally signed, time-stamped, and verified through a trusted chain of certificates. NITA says the system is backed by existing legislation, including the Electronic Transactions Act, Data Protection Act, and Cybersecurity Act, meaning digital records already have legal recognition. The agency will regulate and license the ecosystem, while private companies will develop and operate the wallet applications, encouraging innovation and competition.

The project is currently in its early market engagement phase, with NITA seeking industry feedback on key issues such as which documents should be digitized first, licensing requirements for wallet providers, revenue-sharing models, and how the platform can serve citizens without smartphones or reliable internet access. Standards development, licensing, and pilot deployments are expected to follow before the platform is rolled out nationwide.

Source : www. techlabari.com

MTN Group, Africa’s largest telecommunications operator, ranks second globally in the 2026 Ranking Digital Rights Index – becoming the first telecommunications company headquartered in an emerging market to place among the top three performers worldwide.

This achievement marks a significant milestone in the Group’s efforts to strengthen transparency, governance and the protection of digital rights for citizens across its markets.

The RDR Index is widely regarded as a global benchmark for corporate accountability in the technology and telecommunications sector, evaluating how companies uphold fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression and privacy, through their policies, governance frameworks and public disclosures.

Against this global backdrop, MTN achieved a score of 42 out of 100, sustaining a strong momentum in improving transparency this assessment cycle. MTN climbed from sixth place in the previous ranking to second place.

Commenting on the Group’s performance, Nompilo Morafo, MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, said: “Our progress in the Ranking Digital Rights Index reflects the deliberate steps we have taken to strengthen governance, enhance transparency and embed respect for digital human rights across our operations.”

MTN’s gains were driven by score increases across all three RDR categories marked by strengthened governance disclosures, the introduction of a comprehensive advertising content policy, and enhanced measures related to user data protection.

“Our journey on digital rights has been one of continuous evolution. As the landscape changes, we are deliberately adapting our approach, drawing on lessons from our experiences across markets and strengthening how we translate commitments into practical action,” Morafo added.

As Africa’s leading digital platform, MTN operates across diverse and complex regulatory environments, where balancing digital inclusion and human rights considerations is increasingly critical.

The company remains committed to strengthening transparency and disclosure practices, embedding digital human rights across all markets, enhancing governance and accountability mechanisms, and aligning with evolving global standards and stakeholder expectations.

“While we are encouraged by this progress, protecting digital rights is an ongoing responsibility,” Morafo said “We will continue refining our approach to address emerging risks and ensure our customers remain at the centre of how we operate”, she concluded.

As digital connectivity continues to expand, the Group will continue to play a leading role in ensuring that the benefits of a modern connected life are delivered responsibly, ethically and inclusively.

Source : www. amaghanaonline.com

Helios Towers has reaffirmed the importance of digital infrastructure in driving economic growth and digital inclusion following a high-level dialogue with government officials, mobile network operators, and private sector stakeholders in Brazzaville.

The event, co-hosted with Unicongo (Union Patronale et Interprofessionnelle du Congo), brought together key industry leaders to discuss how strategic investment in telecommunications infrastructure can accelerate the Republic of the Congo’s digital transformation and support long-term economic development.

According to Helios Towers, the discussions emphasized the critical role of collaboration between the public and private sectors in expanding connectivity, attracting investment, and building resilient digital infrastructure capable of supporting future growth.

The company highlighted its continued investment in the country’s telecommunications sector since entering the Congolese market in 2015. These investments have enabled mobile network operators to extend reliable network coverage across the country and improve access to digital services.

Helios Towers said its infrastructure currently supports mobile network coverage for nearly 60 percent of the Republic of the Congo’s population. The company also noted that 36 percent of its telecommunications sites are located in rural communities, contributing to efforts to bridge the digital divide and expand connectivity beyond urban centres.

Participants at the forum explored the importance of reliable digital infrastructure as a foundation for innovation, economic diversification, and improved access to digital services for businesses and citizens.

The engagement concluded with renewed calls for stronger partnerships among government institutions, telecommunications operators, infrastructure providers, and the private sector to accelerate digital inclusion and support the country’s broader development objectives.

Source : www.techreviewafrica.com

Ericsson has unveiled the latest edition of its Mobility Report at its Mobility Trends Forum, revealing that global 5G subscriptions surpassed 3.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026. The report also highlighted the continued expansion of 5G Standalone (SA) networks, commercial network slicing services, and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of mobile communications and the evolution toward 6G.

According to the report, global 5G subscriptions increased by 162 million during the first quarter of 2026, bringing the total to 3.1 billion users. Ericsson forecasts that the figure will exceed 6.4 billion by the end of 2031, with Northeast Asia including Taiwan expected to achieve more than 90% 5G penetration around the same period. By the end of 2025, 5G networks were already carrying nearly half of the world’s mobile data traffic, a share projected to rise to 85% by 2031.

The report identified Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) as one of the most significant revenue opportunities for operators. Globally, 83% of telecom providers now offer FWA services, while 71% have launched 5G-based FWA offerings, up sharply from 57% a year earlier. Ericsson noted that operators in several markets, including Taiwan, are increasingly viewing FWA as a new source of revenue growth.

Ericsson also highlighted AI as a major driver of next-generation connected devices and services. AI-powered smartphones, smart glasses, autonomous vehicles, wearable devices and augmented reality applications are expected to transform how users interact with digital services. Although AI and AR smart glasses remain in the early stages of adoption, global shipments reached approximately 10 million units in 2025 and are expected to maintain double-digit annual growth in the coming years.

The report noted that AI-powered applications will significantly increase demand for uplink traffic as users and devices generate more video, sensor and real-time contextual data. Ericsson projects that uplink traffic will triple between 2025 and 2031, requiring mobile networks to deliver greater uplink capacity, lower latency and enhanced real-time processing capabilities. Research conducted jointly by Ericsson and Qualcomm also suggests that existing 5G networks can support early AI and extended reality (XR) services, while 6G will be designed to handle large-scale, data-intensive AI applications.

Ericsson said 5G Standalone and 5G Advanced technologies are enabling enterprises to accelerate AI adoption. Although 88% of businesses expect their AI solutions to depend on real-time data, only 18% have widely deployed secure and reliable mobile connectivity capable of supporting those applications. The company believes telecom operators are well positioned to provide the resilient network infrastructure required for enterprise AI transformation.

Commenting on the findings, David Chou, President of Ericsson Taiwan, said the industry is entering an era of “Physical AI,” where distributed AI agents embedded in devices, vehicles and smart cities will increasingly rely on 5G connectivity. He said mobile networks are evolving from best-effort connectivity into intelligent infrastructure capable of supporting differentiated services through technologies such as 5G Standalone and network slicing.

Ericsson reported that more than 90 of the approximately 390 operators offering commercial 5G services worldwide have already deployed 5G Standalone networks. The company expects 5G SA subscriptions to reach around 3.9 billion by 2031, accounting for roughly 60% of all 5G users. Commercial network slicing services have also grown rapidly, with more than 80 services now available globally, representing annual growth of 58%.

The report also highlighted expanding use cases for mission-critical communications. In the United States, operators such as AT&T and T-Mobile are using 5G Standalone technology to support emergency responders through priority communications services, demonstrating the technology’s growing importance for public safety applications.

Looking ahead, Ericsson said work on 6G standards is gathering pace, with the first implementable specifications expected to be finalized between late 2028 and early 2029. Initial commercial 6G services are anticipated around 2030, with global subscriptions projected to reach approximately 180 million by the end of 2031.

Ericsson expects 6G to build on the foundations of 5G Standalone while introducing AI-native network architecture, new radio technologies and integrated sensing and communications capabilities. The technology is also expected to enable seamless integration between terrestrial and satellite networks while delivering greater energy efficiency.

Wei Yi-Kuo, Head of Cloud Software and Services at Ericsson Taiwan, said AI-native networks are already demonstrating measurable benefits through global deployments and pilot projects. According to Ericsson, AI-enabled network optimization can improve downlink throughput by up to 20%, increase spectrum efficiency by up to 10%, double network capacity in high-traffic environments, improve coverage prediction accuracy to between 90% and 95%, and enhance user positioning accuracy by up to five times.

Source : www. techafricanews.com