Telephone services to cover whole country

Accra, June 23, GNA - Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Communications on Thursday said one of the key ingredients of government's policy of providing telephone access to every part of the country was to modernise and upgrade the quality of telephone infrastructure as well as the quality of delivery to international standard. He said in this vein, Ghana Telecom (GT) last week installed a new digital link in Gambaga to make GSM cell phone service available in the town by the end of July.

Mr Kan-Dapaah said this in answer to a question by Mr Joseph Yaani Labik, Independent-Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, who wanted to know when the GT's mast at Gambaga, installed about 20 years ago, would become operational. Mr Kan-Dapaah admitted that it was necessary to upgrade the facility at Gambaga and that was why the GT installed the digital link last week.

On the improvement of telecommunication network at Asankrangwa in the Western Region, the Minister said in view of the existing poor quality of telephone reception in the town the GT would site a repeater station at Anakum. "This project when executed will help to expand digital transmission to Asankrangwa and the project is expected to be completed by November 2005."

On the extension of communication services to Somanya in the Eastern Region, Mr Kan-Dapaah said GSM cell phone service was currently available in the town covering both the One-Touch service operated by GT and that operated by Spacefon. "In the case of GT, a new site is planned for Somanya in order to improve the coverage, increase capacity and enhance quality in service delivery." He said fixed cellular telephone terminals were available in the area. In Dodowa, he said the GT was considering the use of wireless technology to complement the capacity provided by existing network. "Site preparation to deploy GSM services from GT in Dodowa is under way but its implementation is being hampered by the unavailability of power for commercial use in the area."

Mr Kan-Dapaah said GT was making efforts to solve the problem adding that both GT fixed and mobile telephone facilities would be in operation in Dodowa by the end of July 2005. "Meanwhile Spacefon GSM mobile service is already available in the area," he said.