Communications Minister announces 10% increase in data price values effective July 1

The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, has announced a significant improvement in data bundle values across all mobile networks, effective 1st July 2025, as part of wide-ranging reforms to revitalize Ghana’s ailing telecommunications sector.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, the Minister disclosed that after three months of intense stakeholder engagement and policy reforms, a 10% increase in the value of data bundles currently offered by the telcos will be rolled out to benefit Ghanaian consumers.

“This is not a cosmetic fix. It is a structural realignment,” Hon. Nartey George said, emphasizing that the new policy was the product of consultation, regulatory reform, and a clear commitment to address longstanding quality and pricing concerns in the sector.

Among the key highlights:

AT Ghana will offer a 10% increase across all data bundles. Its popular GH₵400 bundle, which previously provided 195GB, will now offer 236GB.

Telecel Ghana will also increase all bundle values by 10%, with the GH₵400 bundle rising dramatically from 90GB to 250GB.

MTN Ghana, the market’s Significant Market Power (SMP) operator, will implement a 15% increase in data value. The previously revised GH₵399 bundle, which offered 92.88GB, will be restored to 214GB.

The Minister stressed that the changes will come into effect on 1st July 2025, giving operators time to reconfigure their systems.

He noted that the National Communications Authority (NCA) has been directed to strictly monitor implementation and sanction any defaulting operator.

According to the Minister, these improvements are not only about better value but also aim to address the quality of service issues that have plagued the sector in recent years.

“We inherited a telecom sector in crisis — with collapsed operators, failing infrastructure, and an absent regulator. We are fixing that,” he stated.

To improve quality, the government is facilitating Spectrum acquisitions by MTN and Telecel and mandating over $150 million in collective investments from the three telcos by the end of 2025.

The Minister also revealed that if the Finance Ministry agrees to rationalize telecom taxes, including the nearly 39% tax component in current data pricing, even greater price reductions will follow.

“There will be no arbitrary data billing. And where there is, the regulator will act,” he assured, citing recent NCA tests that showed no anomalies in the billing systems of the three major operators.

In his closing remarks, Hon. Samuel Nartey George reaffirmed his commitment to transparency, regulatory enforcement, and long-term sectoral growth, promising to “serve with heart, sweat and blood” to deliver digital equity and better telecom services for all Ghanaians.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith