Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Dr Ghunney said the current Next-Gen InfraCo (NGIC) shared monopoly model had slowed deployment and left industries and emergency services stranded.
She said Ghana “cannot digitise if its nervous system is incomplete… Innovation and safety cannot wait for a monopoly to get organised.”

A 5G network is designed to deliver faster data speeds, lower latency and greater connectivity, with speeds of up to 20 gigabits per second.
In July 2025, the Government, through the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, issued NGIC a December deadline to roll out high-speed 5G internet services or face a review of its licence, after missing deadlines in November 2024 and June 2025.

Dr Ghunney, a member of the Technical Programme Committee of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks, referred to a 2025 Global System for Mobile Communications Association Africa report, which underscored the importance of increased digital adoption across sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
The report noted that in agriculture, digital tools such as precision farming and market access platforms could add GHS10.5 billion in value, create 190,000 new jobs and increase smallholder crop yields by 10 to 20 per cent.
It said adoption of Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence technologies powered by 5G networks could generate more than GHS15 billion, particularly in gold and cocoa processing, where Ghana had strong competitive advantages.

Dr Ghunney drew attention to the risks of delayed 5G adoption in critical sectors such as ports and mining, citing disadvantages for autonomous cranes and self-driving haulage trucks.
She explained that “this is because these industries depend on Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), a feature unique to 5G,” adding that while connectivity had improved, some industries were still operating on 2015-era networks.

“We are missing out on Tele-EMS, where paramedics can stream high-definition video to surgeons during the critical golden hour of trauma. The difference between a stable 5G connection and a congested 4G signal can be the difference between life and death,” she said,

Dr Ghunney also explained the potential of 5G to enable network slicing, allowing a single physical network to be divided into multiple virtual networks so that emergency services could operate on dedicated bandwidth during disasters.
She called for immediate regulatory action to de-risk Ghana’s digital future and unlock access to 5G capabilities for industries and emergency services, while safeguarding innovation and public safety.