Cape Coast, Sept.25, GNA - The acting external communications officer of MTN, one of the telecommunication companies in Ghana, Ms. Efua Falconer, on Thursday announced that experts were conducting a research to determine the public health implications of the installation of masts in residential areas by telecom operators.

She said meanwhile, her company was working out modalities with some of the other telecommunication operators for the possible and joint use of one mast in their areas of operation, to help reduce the number of masts installed in the country.

Ms Falconer, who stated these at an 'editors forum' in the Central Regional capital, said at present MTN has about 154 masts in the Central Region alone, and that the number could increase significantly if the company's plans of extending coverage to all parts of the region came to fruition.

She said the Company also had plans to promote the use of the internet, and was supporting a project dubbed 'one laptop per household' in addition to the laying of fibre optics to enhance its services. On the company's contribution to the socio-economic development of the nation, she said MTN contributes about 1.2% of the annual GDP, while about 500,000 people in the country, directly or indirectly depended on the company for their survival.

Ms Falconer said the company largely depends on the local human resource, and that 85 Ghanaians hold top executive positions in the company, which has the largest subscriber base of 55 per cent in the country, with plans to increase it to 75% by 2013. The company, she said, had contributed about two million Ghana Cedis towards the development of infrastructure in the health and education sectors, as part of its social responsibility, and expressed the hope that the company would provide more social support in the near future.