Ghana Telecom relocates payphones

Story: Kweku Tsen & Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah.

Page 16, Nov 7, 2007
GHANA Telecom is relocating its mounted payphones in the urban centres to the hinterlands where their services will be much needed, the Minister of Communications, Dr Benjamin Aggrey-Ntim, told Parliament.
“Mr Speaker, I wish to inform this august House that Ghana Telecom payphones mounted at areas where patronage is low due to improvement in mobile telephony services in the urban areas are being relocated to the hinterlands where their services will be much needed,” he said.
Dr Aggrey-Ntim, who was responding to a question from the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ahafo-Ano North, Mr Kwame Owusu Frimpong, pointed out that a total of 620 Ghana Telecom payphones had been relocated within the period of 2006 and 2007.
The MP enquired from the minister what plans his ministry had to put the numerous unused payphones dotted around the cities and big towns into effective use in the face of a hectic competition, from what he described as myriad cell phones in the cities and big towns.
The minister gave the breakdown as follows: Greater Accra Region 272, Ashanti Region 121, Western Region 77, Eastern Region 19, and Central Region 60.
The rest are Brong Ahafo Region 27, Volta Region 30, Northern Region eight, and Upper East Region six.
In another development, the MP for Biakoye, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bandua, asked the minister when the Worawora Community Information Centre (CIC) would be inaugurated.
Replying, Dr Aggrey Ntim said the ministry would arrange with the local authorities to formally inaugurate the centre in the coming weeks.
He explained that the first phase of the Community Information Centres (CICs) entailed construction of the physical infrastructure, the Local Area Network (LAN) and the Wide Area Network (WAN), which had already been completed.
“ In addition, a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) has been installed for the WAN, under the Ghana/Indian Government collaboration,” he said.
He said the next phase was the provision of equipment such as fax machines, television sets, printers and computers, stressing that the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL) had already provided five computers, a network printer, a scanner, a server and a switch to the centre.
The minister further explained that GIFTEL had, in addition, organised training for the assembly to facilitate the operational activity of the centre.
Dr Aggrey-Ntim also told the House that Ghana Telecom Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) services were available at Abokobi and Pantang.
Replying to a question by the MP for Abokobi-Madina, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, the minister said the GSM facility would be used to provide Fixed Cellular Terminals to prospective customers.
The MP again asked Dr Aggrey-Ntim when telephone facilities would be extended to the newly created Ga East District Capital, Abokobi/Pantang and the surrounding towns.
The minister said access to Internet connectivity could be obtained through the Fixed Cellular Terminal and the people in Abokobi/Pantang could enjoy the facility.