Ghana’s broadband industry is preparing for new competition as French media and telecommunications company Canal Plus plans to launch high speed fibre internet services in Accra and Kumasi through its subsidiary Vivendi Africa.
Through its internet subsidiary, Vivendi Africa (GVA), Canal Plus plans to launch fibre to the home services in Accra and Kumasi, aiming to deliver unlimited, high quality internet at what the company calls revolutionary prices. The move is expected to shake up Ghana’s internet landscape, which has long been dominated by a handful of players offering relatively expensive fibre services.
GVA’s entry will mark Ghana as the company’s 10th African market, following successful rollouts in Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Gabon, Rwanda, and Uganda. Across these countries, GVA has connected millions of homes and businesses with over 40,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure, establishing a reputation for reliable and affordable broadband.
Speaking after meeting the Minister for Communication, Samuel Nartey George, GVA’s Chief Executive Officer, Jean François Dubois, said the company’s mission is to democratize access to quality internet in Africa. The company believes that affordable, high speed internet should not be a luxury, but a necessity for development.
“If this offering delivers high speed, unlimited internet at competitive rates, I’ll personally champion its rollout,” George said.
The Minister welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely and transformative. He noted that the entry of Canal Plus into Ghana’s broadband market will not only enhance competition but also push existing service providers to improve their pricing and quality of service. To him, healthy competition is what keeps the market fair, innovative, and beneficial to the consumer.
GVA’s entry, if successful, could put pressure on existing fibre operators like MTN, Vodafone, and Teledata, who have struggled to expand coverage beyond urban centres. Subscribers often complain about high installation costs, unreliable speeds, and inconsistent customer service, challenges GVA’s entry promises to address.
Canal Plus’s arrival also follows its recent acquisition of a controlling stake in South Africa’s MultiChoice Group, signaling a broader ambition to blend entertainment, technology, and connectivity into a unified digital experience for African consumers.
The anticipated competition could be a major turning point. More players in the fibre sector mean better internet speeds, lower prices, and wider coverage, which are key ingredients for achieving the government’s Digital Ghana vision.
