Business News of Sunday, 15 March 2009

Source: GNA

MTN Ghana assures Northern Region customers of improved services

Accra, March 15, GNA - The MTN Ghana, a telecommunication network, on Sunday assured its Northern Region customers that technical teams were working with other stakeholders to improve the company's services in the area, within the next seven days.

The company said its attention has been drawn to media reports of the Consumer Advocacy Agency and the Right of the People, to embark on various actions to expresses their dissatisfaction with the company's quality of service in the Region.

A statement signed by Ms Mawuena Dumour, Corporate Service Executive, of the company, explained that in the last three weeks, MTN has experienced disruptions in service in the region due to cuts made on its fiber by contractors from other competitor organizations. It said "MTN articulated those challenges to the National Communications Authority (NCA) and subscribers in the region with an understanding that the issues were being addressed." The statement said MTN subsequently received commendation from some stakeholders in the region when marked improvements were noted in service quality.

It said the company viewed as very unfortunate the fact that the two groups both based in the region would plan such actions without making their concerns known to MTN.

The statement said ironically, this was happening "at a time MTN is engaged in extensive roll out of additional telecommunications equipment and latest optical fibre technology infrastructure to expedite the improvement of quality of service." It said over the last two years since entering the Ghanaian market, MTN has invested more than 25 million dollars in the region, in telecommunications infrastructure compared with three million dollars prior to the company's entry into the market. The statement said "Current roll out plans for the region expect to put in place more than 200 new telecommunications, cell sites this year and more than 280 infrastructure upgrades in the second quarter of this year."

It said "MTN remains fully committed to open and constructive dialogue and is taking steps to engage, with leaders of the two groups, to fully arm them with information about, the actions the company has taken to ensure world class service in the Northern Region and in Ghana as a whole."