November 2024

MTN has honored Archie Hesse, the CEO of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), as the Fintech Champion of the Decade during the MTN MoMo @15 National Stakeholder Dinner and Awards Night.

This event celebrated top-performing partners, agents, and merchants who have played pivotal roles in the success of MTN’s mobile money service, MTN MoMo.

GhIPSS was also celebrated with the Ecosystem Expansion Award, in recognition of its efforts to promote financial inclusion and expand Mobile Money usage through Mobile Money Interoperability.

Since its launch in 2009, MTN MoMo has revolutionized Ghana’s financial landscape by offering millions of users’ access to secure, convenient, and affordable mobile money services. The platform continues to grow as a key tool for financial transactions across the country.

Under Mr. Hesse’s leadership, GhIPSS has also made significant contributions to the mobile money ecosystem by introducing services such as mobile money interoperability and linking mobile money to bank accounts and the e-zwich payment system.

These innovations have enhanced the utility of mobile money and driven its widespread adoption in Ghana. Mr. Hesse has also been instrumental in advocating for regulations that support the growth of financial technology (FinTech) services in the country.

Expressing his gratitude for the recognition, Hesse thanked MTN for its ongoing collaboration and emphasized the potential of FinTech to drive future growth. He expressed his hopes of working with telecom companies, including MTN, to elevate Ghanaian FinTech companies to continental prominence.

Source: bftonline.com

The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has reported that telecommunications companies contributed GHS 9.83 billion in taxes and other payments in 2023, marking a substantial boost to Ghana’s national revenue.

This contribution reflects a remarkable 50% increase over the GHS 6.5 billion paid in 2022.

These figures are detailed in the Transparency Initiative Report, jointly released by the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications and the Electronic Money Issuers Chamber of Ghana.

Beyond financial contributions, the telecommunications sector generated 2,464 direct jobs in 2023, slightly lower than the 2,600 jobs created in 2022.

At the report’s launch in Accra, Ing. Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey, CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, highlighted the industry’s dedication to fostering economic growth. Despite ongoing challenges, he affirmed the telecom sector’s role as a cornerstone of Ghana’s economic development.

“If you put together the total taxes that we bear and other remittances that we made to other government agencies, the total is GHS 9.8 in 2023. And this contribution forms about 7.4 per cent of government total revenue”. he said.

Dr Ashigbey further assured that the chamber is working to ensure data affordability, as Ghana ranks just behind Mauritius on the continent

The annual report, based on data from members of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, including AT, MTN, Vodafone, ATC, Helios, Comsys, CSquared, Ericsson, and Huawei, aims to illustrate the industry’s societal and economic contributions to the country’s development.

Source: Emmanuel Oppong ( Citi Newsroom.com)

Telecel Ghana Foundation in partnership with SHE Hub Ghana has trained 140 women entrepreneurs from the informal sector in Kumasi on digital and financial skills as part of the telecommunications giant’s annual Ashanti Month celebrations.

Fusing digital and financial skills with entrepreneurship, the training is aimed at exposing women business owners in the informal sector to digital and financial tools that will elevate their businesses to new heights to promote inclusive economic growth.

The women, who represent a diverse group of vocational traders including hairdressers, dressmakers, traders, and agribusiness owners, were each presented with a digital phone and a year’s supply of mobile data by the telco at the end of the training, a move designed to help them access the critical digital tools and apply their new skills to expand their market reach.

Delivering the keynote at the opening ceremony, Board Chair and Co-founder of Telecel Group, Nicolas Bourg highlighted the long-term value of the skills they will acquire and the advantages it would afford them as business owners in today’s rapidly evolving economy.

“Having a good understanding of digital tools and financial management skills will help you connect with a wider customer base through online platforms, expand your market reach and assist you in making informed financial decisions to secure your business’ future. Utilise the opportunity to ensure the growth of your business,” Nicolas said.

The training forms part of Telecel Ghana’s 2024 Ashanti Month celebrations in Kumasi, which include key activities such as headlining the 67th Asantehene Open Golf Tournament, customer visits by senior management, health screenings, clearing the medical bills of indebted patients in the regional hospital and market activations.

Head of Foundation, Sustainability and External Communications, Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, explained the purpose and significance of digital and financial skills training in expanding businesses.

“This training is an opportunity to level the playing field for women in the informal sector who face barriers in accessing the tools and knowledge that could help them grow.

“Today, that changes. We are giving the beneficiaries of the training the intellectual and physical tools to unlock the full potential of their businesses.”

The training module focused on digital tools for business promotion – the use of mobile apps, social media, and e-commerce platforms to improve service delivery and expand customer reach; and secondly, financial literacy – budgeting, record-keeping, and utilising mobile financial services to improve financial management and support sustainable business growth.

Each of the participants shared updates on their business and how the training will help them scale, as well as asked questions on several areas of the training for better grasp.

At the end of the training, each received a smartphone with a special Telecel package of 2.5GB data every month for a year.

Training participant and owner of BLERG Couture, Priscilla Osei Brempong, was excited and grateful for the opportunity to build her capacity through digital and financial skills training.

“I’ve always wanted to reach more customers and grow my business. With the digital phone and data, I can now advertise online and manage my finances more easily. This training is exactly what I needed to take my business to the next level,” Priscilla said.

Source: Telecel Ghana ( My Joy Online)

The collaboration aims to foster partnerships between Ghanaian and Israeli cybersecurity entities, focusing on threat intelligence exchange, joint response planning, and harmonization of cybersecurity laws.
It also emphasized the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, with Ghana implementing new guidelines under the Cybersecurity Act, 2020, to enhance the resilience of essential services.

The Embassy of Israel in Accra, in partnership with the Cyber Security Experts Association of Ghana (CEAG), at a Cyber Awareness Month Breakfast Meeting, underscored the need for robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard Ghana’s digital transformation journey, with Israel positioned as a strategic partner.

The event, on the theme: “Strengthening Cybersecurity Collaboration: Israel-Ghana Partnerships for a Resilient Digital Future,” brought together key stakeholders to discuss strategies for fortifying Ghana’s digital landscape against evolving cyber threats.

Known for its innovative solutions and resilience against cyber threats, Israel’s expertise provides Ghana with a unique opportunity to enhance its cybersecurity framework.

During the meeting, Ghanaian and Israeli representatives highlighted the potential benefits of knowledge sharing, technological adoption, and capacity building.

Dr. Albert Antwi-Boasiako, Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority (CSA), whose speech was read on his behalf by Mr Alexander Oppong, Director in Charge of Capacity Building and Awareness Creation, CSA, lauded Ghana’s strides in cybersecurity, referencing its recent Tier 1 status in the International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) and a role model country with a score of 99.27 per cent.

This ranking, he noted, reflected Ghana’s commitment to protecting its digital infrastructure and combating cybercrime.

Mr Antwi-Boasiako further stated that the strides made as a country – a leader in the region – had paved the way for further collaboration and innovation.
“It is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated professionals and the collaborative efforts between government, academia, and the private sector,” he said.

The Director General said it was also a recognition of the international cooperation efforts and commitment to leveraging the strengths and learning from global leaders like Israel, whose expertise could guide Ghana in addressing the evolving challenges of cybersecurity.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), countries that invest in cybersecurity cooperation and capacity-building see, on average, a 10 per cent increase in digital adoption rates.

This growth contributes to a five per cent improvement in their innovation and competitiveness scores, as measured by the Global Innovation Index (GII) and the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report.

Mr Antwi-Boasiako, therefore, observed that considering the borderless nature of cybercrimes, a cyber-attack in one country could have ripple effects across other nations, disrupting services, economies, and even national security, which called for a coordinated and unified approach to cybersecurity.

Ghana, he reiterated, was committed to greater collaboration and information sharing as a mechanism to combat cybersecurity threats and intensifying efforts to cooperate in exchanging threat intelligence, planning responses to cyber incidents, and harmonizing cybersecurity laws and policies.

Mr Aviel Avraham, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Israel to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, said cybersecurity was no longer just a sector of technology but a foundation of modern society, protecting every aspect of lives, from banking to healthcare to transportation and national security.

The relationship between Ghana and Israel, he said, continued to deepen across several sectors, and cybersecurity was one of the most promising areas with the recognition of secure digital infrastructure as critical for national progress. The Deputy Chief of Mission noted that Israel’s collaboration with Ghana in cybersecurity had been about building partnerships, exchanging expertise and fostering an environment where both countries could learn from each other. “Israel has been particularly encouraged by Ghana’s approach to cyber security, which is both strategic and proactive.

Ghana has made impressive strides, from establishing the Cybersecurity Authority to implementing a robust framework that protects the country’s digital assets,” he said.

Mr Abubakar Issaka, President, Cyber Security Experts Association, Ghana, said the theme for the meeting encapsulated its vision to merge the cutting-edge innovation of Israeli cybersecurity with Ghana’s robust expertise and unique perspectives with a collaboration of building a resilient future for both counties.

Keynote speakers from the Economic and Trade Mission of Israel, CEAG, and leading cybersecurity firm Checkpoint delivered insights into the global cybersecurity landscape followed by panel discussion where experts shared strategies for tackling shared cybersecurity challenges and improving collaborative defenses.

Source: GNA (Business Ghana)

The MTN Ghana Foundation says the number of entrepreneurs it has chosen for its SME Support Programme has increased to 150 with a fund of GH¢2 million.

The Foundation celebrated the second year of its Small-scale and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Support Programme in Koforidua, Eastern Region, with 50 entrepreneurs participating in the event.

In collaboration with the Innohub Foundation, the programme aims to foster the growth of small businesses and build a sustainable future for local communities.

This initiative provides support to women, youth, and individuals with disabilities through training in skills, mentorship, and funding. The training encompasses both artifact and digital trading skills.

In her speech, Madam Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, MTN Ghana, said the SME Support Programme in 2023 provided a seed capital of GH¢1,000,000 to help over 100 entrepreneurs into Gari processing, oil palm processing, beads making, animal rearing, among others.

She said the initiative had a great impact on the beneficiaries because they were able to train others and saved them from becoming a burden on their families and society.

This year, she said the number of entrepreneurs chosen for the SME Support Programme has increased to 150 with a fund of GH¢2 million.

The beneficiaries were selected from the Eastern, Volta and Central Regions.

Madam Wiafe said, “to ensure the growth or progress of your businesses we shall monitor, evaluate, assess, and guide you where necessary.”

Mr. Nelson Amo, Executive Director of Innohub Foundation welcomed the 2024 beneficiaries and said, “The road of entrepreneurship is not easy, but it is filled with opportunities to learn, innovate, and make a meaningful impact.”

He said, according to statistics, revenue for businesses under the SME Support Programme was increased from GH¢7.6 million in 2022, to GH¢11.5 million in 2023.

The programme is not just about numbers; it is about lives transformation. Every figure represented an entrepreneur’s story of challenges overcome; he indicated.

Source: GNA ( Ghana Business News)

More than any time in global history, the demand for reliable and accessible customer service is critical in driving brand loyalty and consumer relationships. The State of the Connected Customer survey by Salesforce revealed a staggering 80 per cent of consumers link loyalty to a brand with the quality of its customer service while 88 percent believe good customer service makes them more likely to purchase again.

With the transition to Telecel Ghana now complete, the telecommunications firm is bent on delivering a delightful customer experience that puts the customer at the core of its operations. Telecel Ghana has introduced a series of enhancements over the last few months to ensure its customers access superior customer service.

As Telecel Ghana marks its annual CARE month in October, in sync with international Customer Service Week celebration, on the theme – Going Above & Beyond: Connecting through CARE, the telco is celebrating its customers, recognising the contributions of frontline employees and sharing improvements to their customer experience delivery.

From increasing the number of customer service call agents to making accessibility upgrades to the Telecel Play app, the telco is adapting to the evolving needs of its diverse customers across its mobile, fixed, business, broadband and Telecel Cash segments.

Business opportunities

“We believe in giving our customers value and the power to be in control of their connectivity needs,” said Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive of Telecel Ghana. “We are investing in both human resource and self-service tools that will ensure support is readily available anytime for more flexibility, convenience and satisfaction.”

Multi-channel support

Presently, customers enjoy multi-channel customer service where they can effortlessly switch between the Telecel helpline–100, Corporate Website, Telecel Play App, WhatsApp, e-mail, and social media platforms to seek assistance from the support team. This flexibility allows customers to choose their preferred medium of communication for their enquiries to be addressed efficiently and consistently, regardless of the channel used.

New customer experience centre

As the telco’s subscriber base continues to grow, the load of customer support equally ramps up. In their bid to respond to more customer service request and enquiries, Telecel has opened a customer experience centre in Ga East with a 25 per cent increase in the number of trained call agents handling mobile, fixed, broadband and Telecel Cash complaints in real time.

Abigail, a customer support agent who responds to calls from Telecel mobile users at the new experience centre, said she receives an average of 90 calls daily. She types out the summary of each interaction on the platform during or after each call for reference and resolution tracking.

“We are readily available to answer questions, troubleshoot issues, and provide personalised support,” said Abigail, as a trainee next to her observes her work as part of the recruit training.

With the goal of increasing its customer support team to about 250 at both the Ga East and Accra High Street experience centres, Telecel is dedicated to resolving enquiries more promptly to increase reliability and strengthen customer relationships.

More community shops

Recognising the importance of customer touchpoints, Telecel Ghana has been rapidly expanding its network of community shops across the country. Having established over 400 community shops in vantage locations nationwide, the telco has made it easier for customers to interact with Telecel staff directly and reduce geographical barriers for in-person assistance.

Mercy Dawn Akude, General Manager for Commercial Operations, said that increasing the footprint of community shops is helping Telecel to bring its services closer to customers than ever before and to retain them. “We want to consistently connect with customers and our community shops does that by providing the convenience of easily walking in to access any of our products and services.”

Telecel Play App

The user interface of the Telecel Play App has received a significant boost with an enhanced design which makes it easier for users to navigate the app. The functionalities of Telecel Play have gone a notch above with game-changing features that enable customers to manage their multiple accounts & services effortlessly across all service types – Mobile (Prepaid, Postpaid, Hybrid, Tertiary) as well as Fixed Broadband, complete cash transactions with ease and receive priority support for complaints.

The upgrades also include integration of AI chatbot, TERi for self-help service, paying bills, completing transactions for merchant accounts, accessibility support for Deaf community, including highly discounted bundles available to only them and simplified journeys for airtime and data top-ups among others.

Customers’ contacts are integrated in the Telecel Play App which makes it easier to send cash without dialling the receiver’s number from scratch, reducing the incidence of errors that has dominated mobile money complaints.

Upgraded CRM system

Telecel Ghana has upgraded its central Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to consolidate all customer complaints on one platform. The CRM system, which was developed by the in-house digital technology team, allows the telco to record, monitor and analyse all complaints via the unilateral platform and enables it to gauge the trend of complaints and how quickly they are resolved.

Meet TERi

With the transition to Telecel, the telco has rebranded its AI chatbot from TOBi to TERi. TERi is the digital savvy customer’s first point of call for enquiries, troubleshooting issues, and providing personalised responses and is available 24/7 to users.

Through TERi, Telecel Ghana is leveraging the power of AI to manage customer enquiries in real time and empowering customers to self-service. TERi quickly guides customers to request Telecel Cash reversals, buy mobile data bundles, change their broadband plans, manage transactions, pay bills, etc.

TERi has the additional capability to connect to a human agent at the request of the user for complex enquiries.

Super Care

Ensuring customer service is accessible and welcoming to everyone, regardless of language or ability is of prime importance to the telco. At the Ga East customer experience centre, an agent uses sign language to communicate with a customer via WhatsApp video call. The customer signs and smiles after their request was completed.

Telecel’s Super Care initiative has evolved from a basic customer service line into a robust digital support system equipped with sign language-trained agents. With the integration of Super Care features into the Telecel Play app, the Deaf community can access seamless support with video-call capabilities for sign language assistance. They also have special bundles that can only be accessed by them.

Firing on all cylinders

Additionally, Telecel Ghana has expanded its resolution team on the ground with new field engineers added to the workforce with the requisite resources and vehicles to improve the turnaround time for reported faults in fixed and broadband service delivery.

Currently, customer service interaction is delivered in at least five local languages to make customers feel comfortable interacting in their native tongue, which leads to more authentic and open communication.

Telecel Ghana’s customer-centric approach extends beyond convenience. It’s about firing on all cylinders to deliver superior customer experience that builds loyalty and satisfaction for each user. More importantly, it is redefining what it means to put customers first in today’s ever-changing digital world.

Source: bftonline.com

MTN Ghana, in line with its Sustainability Week, has hosted a panel discussion on the importance of embedding Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in business operations. The discussion featured Bernard Owusu-Ansah, Manager of governance, Risk, and Compliance at KPMG Ghana; Mina Opoku Agyeman, Outreach Manager at the UN Global Compact and Dr. Felix Addo-Yobo, Deputy Director and Advisor, SDG Advisor’s Office of the President. The panel emphasized that ESG was no longer just a trend, but a necessity for businesses to remain competitive and contribute to sustainable development.

The discussion highlighted innovative ways businesses were incorporating ESG principles to achieve sustainability and profitability. Examples included investing in renewable energy, reducing waste, and promoting resource efficiency. Dr. Addo-Yobo stressed that sustainability was essential for safeguarding humanity and the planet, while Bernard Owusu-Ansah noted that ESG was a critical factor in accessing finances from global funds. The panel agreed that embracing ESG principles not only enhances a company’s reputation but also provides a competitive advantage in the market.

“Companies can no longer claim a low environmental footprint simply because they’re service providers. All businesses must contribute to sustainability, regardless of their impact or dependency on nature.’” Mr Owusu-Ansah noted.

Ms. Agyeman emphasized that “the United Nations Global Compact emphasizes transformational governance, where every member, from the board to the last person in the organization, believes in and champions sustainability.”
Speaking to the media, Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe? Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Ghana said that “As we conclude our Sustainability Week celebrations, I reiterate MTN’s commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Our strategy prioritizes shared value, recognizing our responsibility to stakeholders, the environment, and economic development. Throughout the week, we raised awareness internally and externally through panel discussions and showcases of our sustainability initiatives.”

She emphasized MTN Ghana’s dedication to achieving net zero by 2040 and reducing its carbon footprint through solar energy and energy-efficient infrastructure. “As emphasized during our ESG Week, sustainability is our collective responsibility. Every individual, organization, and community has a vital role to play in preserving our planet and driving socio-economic development. Let us work together to ensure a sustainable future for all” she noted.

Source: Business Ghana

In a celebration marking 15 years of impact and innovation, MTN Ghana honoured top-performing partners, agents, and merchants who have been instrumental in the growth of its mobile money service, MTN MoMo.

The MTN MoMo @15 National Stakeholder Dinner and Awards night held on Friday, November 8, 2024, at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel highlighted its commitment to financial inclusion and recognized key contributors to MoMo’s success story in Ghana.

Since its inception in 2009, MTN MoMo has transformed the financial services landscape in Ghana, providing millions with access to convenient, secure, and affordable mobile money services. The platform has millions of users and continues to be an essential tool for financial transactions.

In his speech, the Chief Executive Officer of MobileMoney Limited, Shaibu Haruna, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders such as bank and non-bank partners, merchants and agents for their various plays in ensuring that MTN MoMo grew in leaps and bounds.

He highlighted that after 15 years, MTN MoMo has surmounted challenges especially encountered in it early stage of introduction and has contributed significantly to Ghana’s economy, stressing that it will continue to do so into the future.

Shaibu Haruna indicated future strategies for MTN MoMo, focusing on leveraging emerging technologies to enhance service offerings which will meet the evolving needs of Ghana’s financial landscape, reaffirming its dedication to expanding MoMo’s reach by unlocking new financial opportunities.

“The Ghanaian Fintech industry is on the verge of explosive growth and I hope you believe in that. Given the robust infrastructure and policy framework that are in place, we believe we are on the verge of an even stronger evolution of the industry.

It is a fact that despite all the great strides we have achieved, the level of service penetration which is critical in the financial ecosystem is still very low. We continue to see significant opportunities [and some will call it gaps] in the area of digital payments, cross-border payments, insurance, investment and e-commerce. These are opportunities that we can co-create and develop in the future. The key to unlocking this piece is around how we collaborate focus and scale. Our ambition for the next decade is to provide financial freedom for every Ghanaian by empowering them to be able to do every service,” he said

The MTN MoMo @ 15 National Stakeholder Dinner and Awards night saw distinguished agents, merchants, and partners recognized for showing exceptional service and dedication. Winners were recognized not only for their transaction volumes but also for their role in fostering a customer-centric approach, ensuring financial inclusivity, and promoting the use of MoMo for various daily transactions.

Special recognition was given to Madam Rita Mensah for starring in MTN Ghana’s ‘Mensa Aka’ advert. She received a cash prize of GH?30,000.

Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), Archie Hesse, was also recognized as the Fintech Champion Of The Decade.

Below is the list of award winners on the night:

Fintech Category Awards

Fintech Partner Of The Year (B2B)- Nsano

Most Innovative Fintech Partner – appsNmobile

Fintech Partner Of The Year (Government Sub Category) – Hubtel

Fintech Partner Of The Year (Merchant Sub Category)- BluPenguin

Overall Best Fintech Company – Hubtel

Product Awards Category

Bank Partner Of The Year (Lending Sub Category ) – Letshego

Fintech Partner Of The Year – Jumo

Remittance Partner Of The Year (Remittance Sub Category) – IT Consortium

Most Innovative Product Of The Year – Agent Flex by Tyra and FAB

Special Recognition Award – Madam Rita Tetteh who received a cash prize of GH?30,000

Best Performing Partners Awards

Government Partner Of The Year – Electricity Company of Ghana
Corporate Partner Of The Year – Keed Ghana Limited
Technology

Source: CNR CitiNewsroom (Business Ghana)

As Ericsson expands its #AfricaInMotion strategy, which aims to accelerate digital inclusion and adoption across the continent, the company is urging governments to play a key role in developing strategies that support internet access and digital learning.

This is according to Ayub Osman, head of sustainability and corporate responsibility for Ericsson Middle East and Africa.

In an interview with ITWeb Africa, Osman stated governments must form productive partnerships with the private sector, particularly communication service providers and technology companies, to implement these strategies by building the necessary digital infrastructure and providing reliable school connectivity.

The Ericsson senior executive discussed the progress made by the company and its global partners in supporting the International Telecommunication Union’s GIGA initiative in Kenya.

GIGA launched in 2019 as an initiative to connect all schools all over the world and has three pillars: map, model and contract.

Map the location of schools and monitor school connectivity status in real-time.

Model the infrastructure, policies, regulations and investments needed to deliver school connectivity.

Help governments to contract connectivity for schools.

The GIGA project has already spread across Africa, being launched simultaneously in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Benin, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria and Niger.

Now, in Kenya, Ericsson has announced it is cooperating with UNICEF and GIGA to promote Kenya’s National Broadband Strategy, which aims to connect all schools by 2030.

Osman shared insights about the initiative and its progress in Kenya, noting: “We recognise that mapping the connectivity landscape is a critical first step towards connecting every school to the internet and providing each child with access to learning opportunities.

“Through our expertise in ICT, we are helping provide an understanding of where connectivity is needed the most. We have also developed Daily Check, an app that supports the GIGA initiative through the collection, validation, analysis, monitoring and visualisation of real-time school connectivity data.

“With the engagement of international partners, this initiative has achieved noteworthy advancements. By the end of 2023, a total of 546 public schools in Kenya were connected to the internet for the first time, positively impacting over 340 000 students and education.

Source: Samuel Mungadze (itweb.africa)

With the dust settled on the US presidential election, the second term of Donald Trump kicks off in January 2025, but what that means for the telecommunications industry remains to be seen.

During the run-up to the election, neither Trump nor Kamala Harris provided manifestos on their telecommunications-related plans. Mobile World Live reached out to several analysts to ask them what they see in their crystal balls.

The clearest takeaway is the likely change at the helm of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

By law the FCC has commissioners representing both major political parties, with the five appointed by the president and confirmed by the US Senate.

Roger Entner, founder and analyst at Recon Analytics, expects senior Republican commissioner Brendan Carr to be named chair of the FCC. Carr would oversee the agency’s agenda, with his party holding a three member to two advantage over Democrats.

“He’s been pretty outspoken,” Entner said. “I think we will see a greater emphasis on satellite and multimodal technology agnosticism for programmes like Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD).”

Entner, Strand Consult analyst John Strand and Disruptive Analysis founder Dean Bubley expect the FCC and Carr to pull the plug on recent attempts to revive net neutrality, which was rescinded during the previous Trump administration. 

“Deregulation will be the order of the day,” Strand said.

Spectrum authority

In March 2023, the FCC lost its spectrum auction authority after the House of Representatives passed legislation to extend it, but the Senate was unable to agree. Politicians, industry groups and operators have strongly stated there’s a growing need for access to more spectrum.

Republicans hold a majority in the US Senate while the political makeup of the US House of Representatives is still to be determined (at the time of writing).

Strand said the “Senate will likely take up spectrum reauthorisation and pipeline build-up, something that is sorely needed.”

“It may well be that Trump helps the FCC get its grove back,” Strand noted. “Space and satellite are poised to advance in a GOP [Republican] administration.”

Bubley stated the allocation of spectrum remains unknown going forward.

“There are lots of stakeholders and it is unclear which will have most influence: telcos, cable companies, the Department of Defense, satellite, or big IT players like Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE),” he said.

Entner said a second Trump administration could make the Department of Defense (DoD) more pliable.

“That’s how we got the 3.45MHz spectrum. It was the White House coming down on the DoD, and then suddenly things worked.”

CHIPS Act

There was talk by some Republicans in recent weeks about tweaking the CHIPS Act which was enacted under current President Joe Biden.

“Both Democrats and Republicans want to insource things, so there’s not a big difference between the two of them,” Entner said.

Tariffs

Trump is vocal about instituting tariffs on foreign goods brought into the US. Bloomberg reported he has threatened to impose tariffs of as much as 60 per cent on Chinese goods.

Bubley noted it is unclear what the impact of tariffs will be on the telecom sector and what they would apply to.

“They may help vendors like Ericsson with US manufacturing, but the telcos will still need lots of imports,” he explained. “It’s the same question about chips and phones.”

Regulatory environment

Bubley said the second coming of Trump may not be great news for tech giants such as Google and Meta Platforms “given US concerns about big tech and censorship”.

“Amazon and Apple and maybe Microsoft may be less impacted, but I’m really unsure.”

Entner noted for good or bad, telecom was not at the forefront of policy conversations leading up to the election.

“I don’t think you can get too many people energised over BEAD money and things like that. Neither campaign has been very policy-focused,” he explained. “A lot of it will also depend on what happens in Congress.”

Source: www.mobileworldlive.com