GT to expand its services in Western Region

Ghana Telecom (GT) is to increase its 14,000-line within the Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Area with an additional 12,000 lines to meet the growing demand for telephone services in the metropolis.

Additionally, Ahanta West, Funkoe, New Amanful, Adjoa, Kajebil, Abura, Ajumako, Dixcove, Busua and Agona would benefit from the GSM payphone system in December this year.

Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Western Regional Director of GT, told the GNA in an interview on Monday that Sefwi Wiawso and Bibiani districts would each benefit from a 1,000-line service as soon as feasibility studies are completed. Kojokrom, Mpinstim, Inchaban, Aboadze, Abuesi, Shama, Beposo and other surrounding communities are to be hooked to GT's GSM facility and also benefit from payphone services instead of fixed line telephone.

He said the over-utilised exchange network service at Tarkwa was being expanded to cater for the over 220,000 population. Mr. Baffour-Awuah said frequent thefts of telephone cables, both underground and aerial, are major hindrances to the expansion of GT.

He said most of these thefts are carried out along roads not frequently used and appealed to the public to assist GT to arrest perpetrators of such crime.

The regional director said GT was mandated in 1995 to expand and improve on existing telephone services but it has not been able to fulfil this objective, partly due to the activities of criminals.

Mr Baffour-Awuah noted that while some criminals were stealing cables others use various ways to manipulate the public payphone services, thus making many of them defective.