Accra (Greater Accra), 26 Jan. '99 -

Western Telesystems Ghana Limited (WESTEL), Ghana's second national telecommunications company, has begun operations within the Accra-Tema metropolis. The company, a consortium of three companies - Western Wireless International of Washington, Ademesi Communications Company, Cambridge, Massachussets and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) - has already invested over 30 million dollars in equipment and human resources. Mr Adlai Kugblenu, Business Strategist of WESTEL, disclosed this to newsmen in Accra today.

The company will provide a wide-range of services including the sale of phone cards and pay-phones, connect telephone services, both local and IDD, virtual phones: combination of a tone pager and voice mail, and GSM mobile telephone. He said the company started providing services last Saturday, January 23, 1999 with the sale of pre-paid phone cards and the provision of pay-phones. The company is expected to install 200 pay-phones in the Accra-Tema metropolis under the first phase, and engineers are seriously working around the clock to meet demands of customers.

Mr Kugblenu explained that the WESTEL call card has a dual function; it can be used as a calling card and a pay-phone facility on all types of telephones country-wide. He said connection of telephones to residences and business organisations and other facilities have not yet started and gave the assurance these will soon start. Mr Kugblenu said the company will offer a 24-hour quality service with digital communications technology.