Nigerian mobile investor Globacom is threatening to
withdraw from Ghana amid claims that its infrastructure
is being sabotaged.
Globacom was issued a license in 2008 and had initially
scheduled to launch GSM and WCDMA networks by end-2009.
But Globacom is still to launch services in Ghana. The
operator claims that its infrastructure has been
sabotaged, frequencies have been interfered with and its
advertising has been vandalised. The operator has also
suffered from a ban on the erection of new mobile masts.
Ghana has five mobile operators: Zain, Vodafone, MTN,
Millicom and Kasapa. MTN is the market leader with 8.4
million subscriptions at end-March, according to Informa
Telecoms & Media. Ghana had a penetration rate of 63.57%
at end-March.
Globacom also runs mobile operations in Nigeria and Benin
republic and has invested in sub-marine cable Glo-1. The
cable was expected to go live in 2009 with planned
landing points in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Mauritania,
Morocco, Portugal, Spain and UK, but this cable is also
yet to be operational.
