By: Robert
Kwaku Annor
Ghana plans to construct 800
new cell sites and upgrade 2,000 existing ones nationwide within the year, the
Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Hon. Samuel
Nartey George Esq., has announced during a two-day working visit to the Volta
Region.
He gave the assurance during
a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of Akoefe, Togbega Drake Tsigbe IV, at
Akoefe Kpodzi in the Ho Central Constituency.
The Minister also inspected
a newly constructed Rural Telephony Project (RTP) facility at Akoefe Gadza to
assess progress in extending telecommunications services to the community.
Hon. George said the
2,800-site programme represented a significant expansion of the country’s
telecommunications infrastructure compared with developments over the previous
five years. The initiative covers new cell towers and upgrades to existing
facilities operated by major mobile network operators, including MTN and
Telecel.
He further disclosed that
the additional network spectrum released over the past two years exceeded the
total allocated during the preceding two decades. Spectrum provides the
radio-frequency capacity needed to transmit calls and data, and the increased allocation
is expected to support faster internet speeds and better network performance.
The Minister commended
traditional leaders and community members for supporting engineers working on
telecommunications projects across the region. He said their advocacy,
alongside that of Members of Parliament, had helped prioritise underserved
communities.
He added that relevant
ministries were coordinating telecommunications cable deployment with road
construction projects to minimise service disruptions caused by fibre-optic
cable cuts.
Hon. George expressed
confidence that the investments would deliver more reliable mobile services,
particularly in underserved communities. As the facilities become operational
towards the end of the year and into early next year, more residents are expected
to benefit from improved network coverage and greater access to digital
services.
