MTN says frequent cuts of transmission cables hampering operations

MTN, mobile telephone company, says its operations are being hampered by frequent cuts of transmission cables around the country, Mr Nicholas Frimpong, Network Group Regional Manager, told journalists at an Editor’s Forum in Ho.

He said on Wednesday that, on the average there were 15 cuts a week and that road and building contractors and others doing excavations were the main culprits.

Mr Frimpong also complained about siphoning of diesel and theft of backup batteries from the company’s cell sites and said in one case, a man whose residence was near a site had a reservoir into which oil siphoned from the site was stored.

Mr Frimpong said MTN was regularly updating its equipment to take the rising traffic on its network.

Mr Sam Adjei-Sah, Commercial Head responsible for Eastern Region and Volta Region, said the Volta Region was using only 56% of video call capacities and by the close of April the unstable network problem in the northern part of the Volta Region would be solved.

Mrs Cynthia Lumor, Corporate Services Executive, said the MTN Foundation, incorporated to systemize company’s social responsibility activities, had added a third portfolio, economic empowerment to earlier ones of education and health.

She said under the new portfolio some 150 tricycles were donated to some physically challenged people recently.**