Reliance Jio & Bharti Airtel set to compete for African Market Share

India’s two target telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are set to compete for market share in the African continent.

India’s largest telecom operator Reliance Jio will start its services in the African continent almost 8 years after Bharti Airtel. 

The West African country of Ghana has partnered with a subsidiary of Reliance Jio, Radisys, Tech Mahindra, and other vendors to deliver affordable 5G mobile broadband services across its country.

In a press note, Radisys said, “The Government of Ghana, Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, and Tech Mahindra, with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana, today announce their partnership on a new shared infra Next-Gen InfraCo. (NGIC). The Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC) has been awarded a 5G license and expected to launch 5G services across Ghana within the next six months, followed by expansion to other parts of Africa.” 

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“The creation of a shared 5G Mobile Broadband Infrastructure is critical for delivering affordable, high-speed data access to the people of Ghana and achieving our Digital Ghana vision,” said the Minister for Communications and Digitalization of Ghana Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful.

The partnership gives access to Reliance Jio with cheap and free plans in Africa. The company became a top player with more than 40% share of the Indian telecom market’s wireless segment within eight years since it launched services in India.

The telecom company started its telecom services in September 2016 with a 1.52% market share but now it has surpassed Bharti Airtel to second spot with around 32% market share. However, repeating the same feat in Africa seems tough as Airtel has already acquired its position as the second-biggest telecom company in the continent after South Africa’s MTN.