Accra, April 27, GNA - Members of Alliance for Accountable Governanc= e (AFAG), a pressure group on good governance on Tuesday expressed concern about the poor quality of service and high cost of telecommunication in t= he country. Mr. Arnold Boateng a leading member of AFAG who was addressing a pre= ss conference in Accra said operators of telecommunication services in the country had taken consumers for granted and for far too long their complaints have been ignored. He claimed that the operators are involved in high volume of SIM car= ds sales, coupled with misleading adverts, with no visible and verifiable attempt to address key concerns of consumers. Mr Boateng noted that most consumers complain about lack of adequate=

customer service relations and apathy from the corporate affairs directorates of the telecom services in responding to their grievances. He said when two operators, currently operating in Ghana, were doing=

competitive business in Sri Lanka, there was sharp improvement in the quality of their services, while their prices were drastically reduced. Mr Boateng said the inability of the telecom operators to reduce pri= ces in the face of competition and increasing favourable climate gave credenc= e to the perception that, there is a cartel in the industry especially in t= he country. "Consumers are tired of the telecommunication service providers hidi= ng under the guise of unfavourable business climate to exploit them. There i= s an exploitative intent on their part," he said.

Mr Boateng noted that anytime an alarm was raised about their poor quality service, the operators responded with subtle promotions, which on= ly tended to maximise their profit margins at the expense of consumers. He announced that AFAG had called on the National Communication Authority to organise a consumer's forum to allow open interactions among=

consumers, service providers, civil society groups and policy makers to p= ave the way for the positive steps needed to ensure strong bond among stakeholders.

Mr Boateng alleged that application for licence by service providers= for permission to erect masts to improve reception and enhance quality of= connectivity have been bugged down by the Environmental Protection Agency= (EPA). He therefore reiterated the call on EPA to publish the list of cells=

sites applications and reasons for the hold up prior to the ban on erecti= on of masts. "The inter-ministerial committee should speed up the guidelines on t= he erection of masts to ensure discipline and order," he added.