Ghana’s telecom giants are pushing back against aggressive new quality-of-service mandates, warning that stricter penalties without policy relief could break the industry’s financial backbone.
Why It Matters
The National Communications Authority (NCA) is tightening the screws on operators to fix dropped calls and sluggish data.
However, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications argues that “commercial reality” is being ignored in a sector plagued by high capital costs and rampant infrastructure sabotage.
The Friction Point
Sylvia Owusu-Ankomah, CEO of the Chamber, told Citi Business News that while the industry embraces better service, the NCA’s approach is “counterintuitive.”
Operators argue it is unfair to penalize them for network downtime when third-party contractors or vandals are physically cutting the cables.
They argue that in a “high capex” (capital expenditure) environment, forcing expansion into commercially unviable rural areas without subsidies threatens long-term sustainability.
With 95% of the country covered but a massive 62% usage gap, the Chamber suggests the government should lean on the Universal Access Framework rather than just hitting private companies with new license conditions.
Between the Lines
The telecom sector is often the “easy target” for regulators looking to appease frustrated consumers.
But by treating quality issues as purely a compliance problem—rather than a structural one involving fiber protection and tax burdens—the regulator may inadvertently stifle the very investment needed to improve the network.
By the Numbers
The industry is facing a massive disconnect between investment and operational security:
- 1%: The new, lower cap for dropped calls enforced by the NCA.
- 5,000+: The number of fiber cuts recorded in a single year.
- 90 million+ GHS: The amount spent on infrastructure repairs since 2025 alone.
- 62%: The “usage gap”—people who have coverage but don’t (or can’t) use the data.
