September 2019

The continuous damage of the underground fibre cables has been identified as one of the major challenges hampering the smooth operation of Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) Ghana, the Northern Sector Network Manager for MTN, Mr Joseph Kwadwo Addai, has disclosed.

The Northern Sector Network Manager for MTN, who made the disclosure at the Editors’ Forum, organised by MTN in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital, on Monday, said the company spends about GH₵6,634.88 to repair every single fibre damaged.

Mr Addai stated that the MTN Ghana, Northern Sector Network has so far experienced 822 fibre cable damages this year, and blamed the situation largely on contractors working on roads and other private estate developers, who tamper with the cables without prior knowledge of the company.

He said MTN currently operate about 95 per cent of its backbone traffic to transport backhauling services from cell sites to major switching centres onto underground fibre optic cables.

Mr Addai said this enables the communication giant to meet the increasing traffic demands for digital network services and ensure wider connectivity.

He stated that as a means of addressing the challenge, the company had engaged the Ministry of Roads and Highways, and private contractors to ensure that fibre cables are always identified and relocated.

Mr Addai added that plans were advanced to relocate fibre cables, which were at the risk of being destroyed by heavy rain.

“Strategically, we are in talks with the Ghana Highways Authority, the Departments of Urban Roads, political heads, chiefs among others for them to be aware of our fibre cables underground in their various districts and communities. So in the event where they see activities that can cause damage to our fibre cables, they draw our attention,” he indicated.

Mr Addai appealed to customers to be patient as MTN worked hard to resolve all the challenges confronting the network.

He also asked private developers and road contractors to always inform the MTN about commencement of construction to avert damage to the company’s underground cables.

Source:ghanaiantimes.com.gh

Operator Mauritius Telecom and HKT division PCCW Global launched what they claimed is the African island’s first national mobile payment service, a move the partners believe will help close the digital divide in the country.

The service, called My.t Money, is based on HKT’s Tap & Go mobile payment service the company operates in its home market of Hong Kong.

In addition to retail mobile payments, the system is designed to be integrated with a number of civic services including those related to education, transportation and social welfare.

Mauritius Telecom CEO Sherry Singh said the company aimed to “positively disrupt the payments industry,” adding 200,000 customers had already signed-up ahead of launch with 1,000 merchants on the island set-up to use the service.

Payment services will be available through both smartphone applications and a platform designed for use on more basic handsets, a feature PCCW Global said would address the unbanked population.

Source: mobileworldlive.com

MTN Cameroon has denied accusations on social media it plans to close down its mobile money service, less than two weeks after the group’s Ghana business was forced to defend against a similar social media campaign.

In a statement, MTN Cameroon called the rumours of an imminent shut-down “baseless,” noting the service was expanding across all 10 regions of the country and there were no plans to close in the short, medium or long term.

Similar to the defence made recently against social media stories in Ghana, it said funds were held and transactions settled within the country rather than at a group level. This, it highlighted, meant it could not be impacted by “happenings in a third-party country”.

The operator added it intended to continue to grow of the service in Cameroon by increasing its range of products.

Rumours were widely shared earlier this week on popular social media websites and spread through messaging services in the country.

According to comments made to MTN Cameroon on its customer care Facebook page, some users had already began withdrawing funds due to the scare. One claimed the messages began to be distributed in the first week of September.

Source: mobileworldlive

Mrs Patricia Obo-Nai, the Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, has advocated for collaboration of stakeholders in the business environment to support women entrepreneurs to grow.

Chairing the Launch of the Association of Ghana Industries’ ‘’Women in Business Group’’ in Accra, Mrs Obo-Nai said despite the recognition of the impact of women globally, issues of inequality still existed in many businesses in Africa, with Ghana not an exception.

“Addressing gaps in gender diversity in business is essential in the fight against poverty and under-development,” a statement issued to the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday quoted her as saying.

The AGI Women in Business Group is a platform set up by the Association of Ghana Industries to empower and equip women with the right skills, policies and network to contribute effectively towards Ghana’s socio-economic development.

Mrs Obo-Nai said the thought in some quarters that diversity and gender equity issues must be saved for the back burner was unfortunate.

She explained that men and women together were a force to reckon with, particularly when they collaborated for a common good.

Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the first lady and Guest of Honour at the event, noted that a lot more needed to be done to provide access to finance for women in business.

She charged them to be more proactive and strategic in navigating the digital age.

Over the years Vodafone had continually displayed leadership in diversity and inclusion.

The statement said the company recently launched an initiative with the United Nations Development Programme, dubbed: “Bringing the Informal to the Formal,” to equip 1,500 women in small enterprises in the Upper East Region with financial and business skills to improve upon their lot.

The project is expected to indirectly benefit close to 10,000 people in the Region.

Source: GNA

MTN Ghana has beefed up security to protect mobile money users from fraudulent activities and ensure customers have enhanced experience as the telecommunication company continues to invest in infrastructure expansion and improved services.

Some security measures being outlined by the company to protect its 14 million registered subscribers include re-introduction of ‘allow cash out’ menu, introduction of agent identification and code as well as increased public education.

It has also fortified its already robust IT system which allows technicians to deal swiftly reported cases of fraud mobile money irrespective of one’s location.

Speaking at a regional Editors’ forum in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital Nii Adortey Mingle, MTN General Manager – Regional Sales Northern Ghana, warned mobile money users to be vigilant and never disclose their four-digit personal identification number.

“I want to add that do not entertain a call concerning your personal accounts, don’t entertain any call about your money,” he said.

He also urged individuals transacting money mobile to double check the name of any recipient before sending the money through them.

Mr Samuel Koranteng, the Corporate Services Executive of MTN Ghana, said, “It is a crime to pre-register a sim card” and urged the public to report any MTN agent who engaged in the act.

The forum, organised by the country’s leading teleco, was to update editors about the company’s operations during the year and highlighted some achievements and challenges over the period. It also made projections into the future.

Mr Koranteng said the company has invested $160 million in infrastructure expansion and improvement in several projects including deployment of 350 Greenfield and 100 rural sites countrywide.

It also paid GH¢1.3 billion as tax revenue to Ghana Revenue Authority in 2018 and GH¢184 million to telecommunication regulators – National Communication Authority and Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications.

The total amount paid to government amounted to GH¢1.48 billion.

“MTN Ghana spent GH¢825 million in improving our IT sector, recorded GH¢1.15 billion from the IPO launched with 127,000 Ghanaians. We have implemented 1,110 3G site and 254 4G upgrades,” Mr Koranteng said.

However, he expressed worry that MTN continues to experience more than 100 fibre cuts every month, disrupting network telecommunication services and hampering smooth operations of businesses.

He said the company spends GH¢6,634.83 to repair a single fibre cut and by the end of January 2019 it had spent over GH¢677,577’63 fixing 102 fibre cut incidents.

He said from January to date, MTN has experienced 822 fibre cuts and projected the figure might climb beyond thousand by the end of the year.

In 2018, the company recorded about 1,142 fibre cuts.

The cuts have been blamed on road constructions which tops with 49 percent whiles while private developers follow with 37 percent.

Electricity Company of Ghana and Ghana Water Company accounted for seven percent of cable cuts.

Source: GNA

Vodafone Group has announced that it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Oman Future Telecommunications (OFT). With this, it becomes a part of the UK-based operator’s Partner Markets programme.

The OFT consortium is led by Itqan Tech Development and had secured the Sultanate’s third mobile network operator license in October 2017. The acquisition was preceded by the cancellation of the tender process.

Under the 15-year non-equity agreement, both Vodafone and OFT will work together to roll out a new mobile network. They will also develop a number of new services using the Vodafone brand in Oman.

The development of the new Vodafone branded network will start immediately with a commercial launch currently planned for the second half of 2020. Aside from Itqan Tech Development, the OFT consortium consists of pension funds, government investment funds and investors from the private sector according to Times of Oman.

Speaking about the partnership was Vodafone Partner Networks CEO Diego Massidda. He expressed his delight to start the strategic partnership with OFT and conveyed how he is looking forward to developing a new network operator in Oman and contribute to the country’s digital economy. According to him, this partnership will build into a strong and lasting relationship that will benefit customers of both companies.

Source: Mobileworldlive.com

Ericsson and MTN have extended their Mobile Money partnership with the launch of an open API platform in Ghana. This will give entrepreneurs an opportunity to develop revenue-generating applications. As part of the new agreement, MTN will grant access to third parties to its Mobile API powered by Ericsson’s Wallet Platform.

This will enable developers and programmers to get free access to MTN’s proprietary software platform. Developers can now access it and create products that ease payment options and leverage the MTN clients registered on Mobile Money.

The MTN Mobile Money API can be accessed online too. This saves time previously spent on submitting paperwork and a lengthy standard integration. The online system also allows developers to test their products before going live, by using a sandbox available on the website at no additional cost.

Fadi Pharoan, the president of Ericsson Middle East and Africa says “The ease to send, spend and receive money using a mobile phone is becoming an essential part of people’s lives. Our new partnership with MTN in Ghana aims to develop a more open, easy and accessible mobile money network. Ericsson is driving this change of making Mobile money more open by collaborating with MTN to advance secure, flexible platforms that help build an interconnected and transparent financial ecosystem.”

Source: myjoyonline.com