The government in an effort to improve the eco-system of the telecommunications industry has approved four new licencing policies to regulate emerging value-added services.

Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Communications said the new licences include Interconnect Clearing House Licence: with a potential to control the incidence of by-pass of incoming international telephone traffic to the country, International Wholesale Licence, Unified Access Service Licence and Mobile Virtual Network Operations Licence.

He said the Final Acts of the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) 2012, has provided a framework to guide the regulation of international telecommunications services that Ghana could take advantage of to enhance transparency and eliminate fraud within the Ghana telecommunications eco-system.

He said the introduction of the new licences would expand the range of value-added services, especially the introduction of premium services by third party content providers.

Dr. Boamah made the disclosure at a Joint Press Conference held in Accra by the Ministry and the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service on the arrest of Simbox Fraudsters.

The Minister said the new licences would encourage competition and grant a level and fair playing field within the communications eco-system.

He assured that the improved interconnection regime would ensure high quality of service delivery to consumers and the positive impacts include benefits of expanded access to communication services.

“With these policy guidelines and others in the pipeline, it is our expectation that the communications landscape will respond to the challenges, including the SIMBOX menace and ensure that it opens up the opportunities for national development and local entrepreneurship,” Dr Boamah said.