Accra, Nov 24, GNA - Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah, Minister of Communications on Wednesday launched a new Internet Service Provider (ISP) - Busy Access, operated by Busy Internet Ghana to deliver broadband Internet connectivity to corporations in Accra and surrounding areas.

Busy Access, which has a 12-month contract term provides services such as radio link, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) at a different cost prices depending on the type of connectivity.

It is expected to provide quality products to customers and operate a 24-hour a day to monitor Internet connections with every link being assured of quality service using the latest monitoring software.

The TDMA, for example, allows downloads speeds many times faster than a standard ISDN channel without any terrestrial connection such as a telephone line ISDN or leased line and has a hub that can serve thousands of users within the footprint of the satellite, which enables data transfer at high bit rates.

Mr Kan Dapaah said the Internet technology was a leading and powerful device being utilised to re-adjust world economies and in the process, giving ordinary people the opportunity to become partners and players in the world market place.

It is an indispensable tool to facilitate development in commerce, governance, learning, medicine, agriculture the media among other things, adding "you are poor indeed if you do not have access to the Internet and there in lies the significance of the busy Internet investment.""

He said it was the dream of government to accelerate Ghana's socio economic development process towards the realisation of the vision to transform Ghana into a high income economy and society that is predominantly information rich and knowledge based.

Mr. Kan Dapaah said government's role must be that of a challenger and a catalyst to direct the ICT industry towards achieving mutual competitive advantage in the global market, adding that Africa missed out on the industrial revolution and "try as we have, we have not been able to catch up, we dare not suffer the same fate with respect to the emerging knowledge economy".

He said, "if we would be able to do that, then we need to double efforts to balance the scale adding that currently statistics indicate that of the world total internet usage of about 500 million people, Africa has only about four million, which was bad.

He said it was for this reason therefore, that efforts should be made by Busy Internet to enhance the technology base of the Internet use in Ghana as a major private sector initiative worthy of support.

Mrs Estelle Akofio-Sowah, Managing Director of Busy Internet said the company provided service to about 1500 customers daily, adding that with the newest service, the company was expanded to bring its award-winning internet service to homes and offices of customers. Nov 24 04