Mobile network operators, MTN Ghana and Vodafone Ghana have announced the signing of a pilot national roaming agreement in the Volta Region as a first step to a broader nationwide national roaming partnership.

According to a statement, this agreement will see Vodafone Ghana expand coverage of its network by leveraging MTN’s network infrastructure in this pilot phase.

The national roaming implementation is intended to facilitate universal access and accelerate digitalization in line with the country’s ambitions of a digital economy.

The government has a bigger plan to have a full national roaming regime amongst all operators in the country, said MTN.

Commenting, Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Vodafone Ghana, said “The implementation of national roaming will enable Vodafone Ghana customers to stay connected in areas outside our current locations of coverage. This is especially important for rural communities as national roaming invariably provides a greater choice of network providers. We believe strongly that the collaboration in the Volta Region is a positive step, and working together with the Government, the regulator and MTN Ghana, we look forward to extending the national roaming service beyond the Volta Region in due course,” said Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Vodafone Ghana.

Also commenting, Selorm Adadevoh, CEO of MTN Ghana said, “This agreement is a milestone for the industry and is in line with our Ambition 2025 strategic intent of “Leading digital solutions for Africa’s progress.”

“MTN fully supports the government’s National Roaming plans. We acknowledge that national roaming will extend network coverage for Ghanaians nationwide and support the growth of the Ghana Telecommunications industry. We are excited about what lies ahead in this partnership with Vodafone Ghana,” Adadevoh added.

MTN said, over the coming months, the outcome of the pilot would be instrumental in the development of the next phase of the partnership to cover more complex technical configurations for nationwide roaming on either network.

The telco said it would update the market in due course.