The Government of Ghana has provided a fibre optic infrastructure to supply high speed broadband connectivity that would support the delivery of better communication services. Its importance is for all multimedia service providers to take advantage of the broadband facility to extend connectivity to reach their numerous customers.

Dr Benjamin Aggrey-Ntim, Minister for Communication announced this at the opening of the 4th Quadrennial National Delegate Conference of the Communications Workers Union (CWU) on the theme: "The impact of ICT in Ghana's 50 Years Development: The Role of the Union."

Dr Aggrey-Ntim made the points in his speech read for him in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region where the Conference was held. He explained to the GNA in Accra last Monday that it was part of the first phase of the National Communication Backbone Infrastructure Project that had undergone successful testing. He said the remaining points linking all district capitals would be covered in the second phase.

Dr Aggrey-Ntim said the facility would be managed on an open access model so that competitively and without discrimination all service providers would have unimpeded access. "With regard to connectivity to underserved areas, the Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunication was vigorously pursuing the extension of common telecommunications services to underserved areas to be used by all telecom operators"

He said to minimise digital divide, there was the need for the sector to develop adequate ICT infrastructure that would promote the development of ICT services without geographical limitation to accelerate national development.

Dr Aggrey-Ntim recounted the enormous participation of CWU in the development of Ghana's Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Telecom policy, saying CWU had been part of fruitful policy development meetings.

He therefore called on CWU not to hesitate to strategise how they could advise management of their respective companies to patronise the facility to boost quality service which was of a major concern to the consuming public.

Source: GNA

Posted: 02/07/08

Bookmark/Search this post with: