By Mavis Paintsil, Accra
The Director-General of the National Communications Authority, Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, has ordered telecommunications operators to improve service quality and deliver value for money, warning that poor network performance is undermining public trust in the sector.
Speaking at an industry stakeholder forum in Accra yesterday to mark World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, Mr Fianko said complaints about dropped calls, slow data, and patchy coverage had become the biggest threat to the industry after 30 years of growth.
“The public is telling us in growing numbers and in increasingly clear terms that the service they are paying for is not the service they are receiving,” he said.
“Drop calls, slow data, coverage that fades the moment one moves beyond the major urban corridors and in our newer peri-urban settlements and across many of our rural communities. There are places where there is simply no usable service at all.”
To address the problem, the NCA has tightened quality-of-service benchmarks and will soon publish operator-by-operator performance data for public scrutiny.
Mr Fianko said operators have submitted roadmaps covering network expansion, fibre upgrades, transmission improvements and power reliability, with noticeable improvements expected from August 2026.
He warned that the authority would closely monitor implementation timelines and enforce compliance where necessary. He also called for national collaboration to protect telecom infrastructure from vandalism, fibre cuts and illegal mining, stressing that reliable connectivity is now essential for commerce, education, healthcare and everyday life.
Industry calls for faster 5G rollout and policy support
The CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, urged government and regulators to accelerate the country’s 5G rollout, saying Ghana was already behind global trends.
She called for investor-friendly regulations, affordable smart devices, stronger digital infrastructure policies and a stable SIM registration regime to support innovation and industry growth.
The President of the Ghana Internet Service Providers Association, Michael Nfordzo, advocated expanded broadband access, transparent regulatory processes and incentives for underserved communities.
He also pushed for faster deployment of 5G services and stronger collaboration between regulators and internet service providers.
Emmanuel Kwarteng, President of the Association of Submarine Cable Operators of Ghana, described submarine cable systems as critical national economic infrastructure carrying over 95% of the country’s international internet traffic.
He called for stronger protection laws, faster permit approvals, better inter-agency coordination and tougher penalties against activities that damage the cables.
The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation proposed separating public service broadcasting from commercial broadcasting operations and introducing a dedicated public service media tax to sustainably fund public broadcasting.
CUTS International West Africa Centre Head Appiah Adomako called for stronger consumer protection and competition regulation within the telecom sector. He urged the NCA to include consumer representatives on its board, strengthen quality-of-service enforcement and introduce consumer scorecards to track operators’ responsiveness, billing practices and overall service delivery.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is commemorated annually to raise global awareness of the social changes brought about by the Internet and new technologies, and to help reduce the digital divide.
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