GHANA TELECOM MAKES SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS (PAGE 20)

THE Ghana Telecommunication Company Limited (Ghana Telecom) has chalked up certain significant achievements in the last 60 days that Vodafone has operated it.
There has been 300 per cent increase in the monthly roll-out of cell sites of the company’s Onetouch mobile service, with 161 per cent increase in its international in-bound revenues and six per cent net growth in customers.
The company has also added 10 new voice and nine new data roaming destinations to the mobile service.
The Head of Corporate Communications/Customer Care, Major Albert Don-Chebe (retd), who announced this during an interaction with the press in Takoradi, said the link with Vodafone had given all those benefits.
He said plans were on course to deploy 500 s-link devices in seconcycle schools, adding that 10 successful pilot projects had already been carried out.
Major Don-Chebe further announced that five deprived communities were to enjoy modern telecommunication services.
Touching on fixed network service and the broadband4u, he said in the last 60 days "we have sold the highest fixed lines since August 2007, while broadband4u customer acquisition has tripled".
"In the past we had a backlog, today we have cleared the backlog," he said, adding, "Corporate business sales have grown significantly".
Major Don-Chebe said additional 30 per cent broadband4u customers had registered since August 19, while the southern ring of the national fibre network had been completed.
He stated that 24-hour fault clearance rate for Greater Accra Region had improved from 57 per cent at the end of September to 70 per cent as of October 19, with fault incidence rate dropping from 1.4 per cent to 1.27 per cent.
Major Don-Chebe said transmission equipment would be inaugurated soon to provide more resilient network.
Concerning human resource development, he said 40 staff members of the company had received overseas training, while 721 had undergone local training within the 60 days, adding that the mood of the workers was positive.
He complained that cable theft was a problem facing the management of the company since the price of cable had tripled.
Major Don-Chebe made it clear that cable theft was sabotage to the country’s economy because when a cable was stolen, those on that line, including many corporate bodies, would not be able to make a call.