GT To Install GSM Payphones Nationwide

As part of efforts towards meeting its objective of "Linking People Everywhere", Ghana Telecommunication (GT) has embarked on the installation of Global Satellite Mobile (GSM) payphones nationwide.

Speaking in an interview with The Chronicle, the Senior General Manager in charge of (GT) payphone services Mr. Divine Kpetigoe said, the essence of installing the GSM payphones is to enable areas in all parts of the country without landlines have mobile facility coverage to have access to communication, adding that it would also accord the inhabitants within those areas affordable and easy access to communication.

He stated that, the GSM payphones could be accessed with the normal payphone cards and the tariffs were normal like landline tariffs and not GSM tariffs, adding that GT would be subsidizing for the areas without fixed lines.

"This new approach is part of the new wind, dubbed the "Changed Process" that is blowing within GT", he added.

Mr. Kpetigoe noted that, it would take a lot of money, time and effort to get the whole nation hooked on fixed lines within the next five-ten years and in view of this, the GSM payphones would be in these areas to service the people until fixed lines were installed.

He said also that, since GT was expanding its fixed lines and mobile facility network day to day, the installed GSM payphones would be moved to areas without telecommunication facilities.

He noted that, GT management had acquired vans for all GT stations nation wide to aid in maintaining the newly installed payphones and existing installations.

Mr. Kpetigoe stated that, GT technicians were busily working to rid the nation of all installed faulty payphones.

He then appealed to the public to view the installed payphones as their property and handle them with care, adding that people who were living in areas that had had faulty payphones for a long time, should report the incident to the payphone service's section of GT for redress.

Figures at the payphone services section of GT indicated that 300 GSM payphones have been installed nation wide and a 1000 more would be installed by the end of the year.