In emerging markets such as those of sub-Saharan Africa, national wholesale networks are sometimes seen as a way to accelerate roll-out of modern connectivity and to help the country leapfrog its more mature counterparts. Sometimes these networks have been mandated by the regulator, as happened with 4G in Kenya and South Africa, but conflicts of interest meant that those failed to achieve their goals. A commercial, fully neutral host network can be easier for MNOs to accept, since they can save costs without the complexity and competitive sensitivities of a joint venture arrangement. In South Africa, wholesale fiber provider Liquid Telecom plans to add a 5G wireless network to its services in all the country’s major cities. Since Liquid is…