MTN invests $150m

…to improve network quality

Mobile telephony giants, MTN (operated in Ghana by Scancom Ghana) says it has so far invested about $150 million to expand coverage and improve its network. This should be relieving news for the millions of the company’s subscribers.

Subscribers have been complaining incessantly about the quality of the network, but Scancom says it is very much on top of the situation and will continue to invest more funds to provide a smooth and high quality network.

Clement Asante, a Senior Manager with Scancom announced at the official changeover from the Areeba brand to MTN in Accra that, MTN’s expansion includes a deliberate plan to cover the rural areas as well.

He said the company is working with GIFTEL (Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunication) in that direction, adding that it is a further demonstration of MTN’s commitment to maintaining leadership in the telecommunications market.

MTN is an African wide mobile telephony company with over 44 million subscribers and present in twenty-one (21) countries in Africa and the Middle East.

The brand’s entry into Ghana follows MTN’s acquisition in July 2006 of Investcom, operators of Areeba. It has taken a year from the brand change to take place and many Areeba (now MTN) subscribers are looking forward to more than just a name change.

Although the company has announced some new tariff regimes and packages targeting various subscriber types, a lot of the people are rather interested in high call termination rates, reduced or very low call drop rates, wider coverage area with limited potholes between towns, high quality MMS & fast speed Internet services among others.

MTN’s Corporate Services Executive Mawuena Dumor says they are continuing to invest to meet the expectation of their subscribers.

“…As an organization we are making significant investments towards the improvement of network quality and primarily to expand the capacity of the network to ensure that problems relating to making calls are addressed overtime” she said in an interview with journalists.

She acknowledged the concerns of subscribers, but gave an assurance that it will all be over after the on-going expansion works. According to her, while the work continues, there will be some inconveniences.

MTN has over the last week branded the country very y’ello and the brand change activation activities is expected to climax with a Shaggy, Ganja farmer & Mr. Vegas Concert at the Trade Fair Centre, Accra.

The crew will be running an open-air, free concert and patrons are expected to be very y’ello tomorrow.

Chief Marketing Officer George Andah has promised subscribers and the country that with the launch of MTN, the face of telecommunication in Ghana will change.

He said at the brand changeover announcement at the La Palm Royal Hotel that they would unleash new products and services unto the market, with new tariff plans targeting various segments of the market.

Before becoming MTN, the operating brand name was Areeba, having changed from Spacefon, the first GSM operating brand in Ghana.

Scancom Ghana is ten years old, and the launch of the MTN brand coincides with their anniversary.

Ms. Dumor says the Ghana operations is extremely important to the overall MTN global portfolio, adding that “therefore there is a lot of focus in ensuring that we are not just operating to national and international standards but also to their own standards that make MTN the current global leader in terms telecommunication in emerging markets.”