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23.04.2010 Business & Finance

Internet cafe operators in Tamale angry with Vodafone

23.04.2010 LISTEN
By Edmond Gyebi - Ghanaian Chronicle

THE OPERATOR of the Broadband 4 U Internet Service, Vodafone Ghana, is likely to face serious public protests from customers or subscribers in the Northern Region, for providing poor internet services to them.

The Broadband Users Association of Tamale has given Vodafone Ghana up to Monday April 26, 2010, to rectify the problem of total absence of connectivity, and frequent interruptions, or else, they would be compelled to come out in their numbers to stage a serious street protest against the company.

At a press conference organised in Tamale on Wednesday to state their concerns, they described the operations of Vodafone Ghana, with regards to their internet services, as thievery, considering the fact that it was partly a public entity, but had been allowed to operate commercial internet cafés, and was giving its clients, who are also competitors, irregular service

Mr. Ken Kubuga, Secretary to the association, said since November last year, members of the association had received, on average, one day of internet service out of every three days.

“The most annoying aspect of it is that, the service picks up to a very good speed late in the night when customers are not there to browse for us to make money.”

He maintained that the association suspected that the predicament they were facing currently had been a result of the establishment of the new commercial internet cafés by Vodafone at their main premises in Tamale.

Flanked by his President, Ram Nanasta, Mr. Kubuga said clients of Vodafone no longer had access to the online portal to check their status or balance, thus they are sometimes taken off by surprise with a sudden cut in internet access, before they realise they have run out of credit.

He observed that it was either a deliberate attempt by the operator to deceive customers into paying more money, or a lack of expertise to manage and deliver the bandwidth promised them by the company.

Meanwhile, officials at the Vodafone Ghana office in Accra, told a Tamale-based radio station, Fiila FM, that the problem of low internet connectivity was due to ongoing works on the national fibre optic line from Kumasi to Northern Ghana, promising that it would be completed between May and June this year. FIILA NEWS

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