Telcos fail to meet quality standards

Mobile Network operators in the country have been found to have violated the quality service standards prescribed by the National Communications Authority (NCA).

The five telecommunications companies in the country have been summarily fined an amount of GH¢900,000 by the NCA to make them sit up.

According to NCA, all the operators have been found liable on several counts.

Glo Ghana and MTN Ghana were said to have been the worst offenders and have been asked to pay GH¢300,000 each.

In the case of Tigo, Airtel and Expresso, they are also to pay a fine of GH¢100,000.

The NCA periodically undertakes the service standards quality test to ascertain whether telecommunications companies operating in the country were delivering appropriate services.

But in most instances, these companies have been found to have messed up their networks particularly with call set up time, congestion and signaling traffic in Upper East and Upper West, Ashanti, Volta, Eastern and also the Northern region.

The state regulatory body indicated that on a monthly basis, it has been conducting analysis and monitoring of the activitites of mobile operators to bring to the fore experiences of users.

Ghana’s mobile phone subscription hit 26.4 million in March this year but the industry has not been spared the usual complaints from users on issues of congestion and poor quality service across country.

Operators, on the other hand, have been touting their achievement in terms of services and expansion drive across country.

Meanwhile, operators have blamed the situation on frequent breaks in network infrastructure occasioned by road contractors who dig trenches which disrupt their underground cables.

Another problem faced by the telecommunication companies is fuel theft and the regular erratic power supply.