Mobile subscription hits 26.5m

Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah, Minister for Communications, has announced that mobile subscription figures reached nearly 26.5 million as at the end of the first quarter of 2013.

This figure, he said, showed that the telecom sector would continue to register impressive growth rate in spite of some challenges it faces. Dr. Omane-Boamah, who made this known at a conference in Accra, said the pace of growth in Ghana’s internet and telecom sector was quite phenomenal.

This, he said, was evident in the 2013 Budget Statement which reported that the Services sector accounted for 49.3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012 of which the ICT subsector contributed 12.1 percent and Business Services, 13.5 percent.

Dr. Omane-Boamah attributed the rapidly improved internet usage in Ghana to mobile internet provided by the telecommunication companies, and aided by the progressive reduction in the cost of bandwidth.

He said the cost of bandwidth in Ghana had witnessed substantial reduction over the years, noting that “in the year 2007 the cost of 2 Megabits bandwidth was about $10,000 per month. In 2008, this figure fell to $7,500, then in 2009 it reduced to $4,500, then to $4,000 in 2010, $2,000 in 2011 and for last year, the cost of 2 Megabits bandwidth fell to $1,500 per month. Right now, this is reducing to $1,200”.

The Minister said the Ghana Internet Service Providers Association (GISPA) confirmed in early May that currently, 45 percent of the country’s internet traffic was handled locally through the existing Internet Exchange Point.

He said, “With the arrival of additional switches, the percentage will improve and more opportunities will emerge”.

Dr. Omane-Boamah said the moment had come for the country to reap the benefits of technology and improve its balance of trade with the rest of the world, adding that government would continue to support the promotion of Ghanaian ICT companies to improve their businesses.

He urged the ICT companies to take advantage of Ghana’s hosting of the ITU Regional Development Forum 2013 on 1st October 2013.

He said Ghana would also take the opportunity to showcase the country’s enormous potential for business at the ITU Telecom World Exhibition in Bangkok on 19th – 22nd November 2013. Dr. Omane-Boamah urged Ghanaian companies to participate in the event in order to be recognized on the world stage.