The National Communication Authority (NCA) has assured the public that data prices will decrease by the last quarter of the year, addressing concerns over high data costs and poor services.

This announcement follows widespread criticism and calls for the dissolution of the NCA board, partly due to MTN’s classification as a Significant Market Power (SMP), which some argue has led to unreliable data supply and high costs.

In a statement, the NCA clarified that the SMP classification aims to promote fair competition, not burden MTN’s operations.

The Authority explained that measures such as unbalanced interconnection rates, tariff parity, and technology neutrality will foster competition, innovation, and consumer protection.

Speaking on Citi FM, the Director General of NCA, Dr. Joe Anokye, said data prices will likely decrease with the introduction of the NGIC wholesale carrier-neutral open access network.

This network, expected to be launched by the last quarter of the year, will enable operators like AT, Telecel, and MTN to purchase bulk data without upgrading towers or equipment, leading to increased efficiency and reduced costs.

Dr. Anokye expressed optimism, saying, “Data prices are expected to go down, especially again with the NGIC wholesale carrier-neutral open access. Now AT, Telecel, and even MTN, will just buy bulk; they don’t have to upgrade towers or buy new equipment to provide 4G. Another entity is doing that.

“They are supposed to launch by the last quarter of the year, and going from there we begin adding more towers. I think we should be hopeful.”

Vodacom, a prominent telecommunications provider, has taken decisive action by dismissing 631 workers and contractors due to fraud-related offenses during the fiscal year ending March 2024.

The company’s actions followed investigations into over 8,000 reported cases across various channels, including customer complaints, service providers, and internal fraud detection systems.

Details of the Dismissals:

• The dismissals were part of Vodacom’s efforts to uphold integrity and accountability within its workforce and partner network.
• Contractors and business partners are required to undergo specific training relevant to their roles to align with Vodacom’s ethical standards and fraud prevention protocols.

Industry Context:

• Fraud incidents involving telecommunications staff collaborating with external parties to defraud companies and customers are not uncommon within the industry.
• Similar issues have been reported in Ghana, where telco employees have been implicated in fraud schemes, including SIM swaps leading to financial losses for customers.

Challenges and Responses:

• Authorities and law enforcement agencies in Ghana have encountered obstacles from telcos during investigations into internal fraud cases, highlighting challenges in collaboration and transparency.

Call for Transparency:

• While Vodacom has taken action against fraudulent activities, questions remain regarding the transparency of naming and prosecuting individuals involved.
• In Ghana, there are concerns that despite dismissals, individuals implicated in fraud are not publicly identified or held accountable.

Vodacom’s actions underscore the telecom industry’s ongoing efforts to combat fraud and protect consumer interests. Moving forward, transparency and collaboration between telcos, regulators, and law enforcement are crucial in addressing internal fraud and ensuring accountability across the sector.

Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister of Communications and Digitalization, has informed Parliament that over 28 million Mobile SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards have been successfully registered since the commencement of the registration exercise using the Ghana Card. 

She said the nationwide SIM Card Registration Exercise, which commenced on October 1, 2021, would go a long way to help develop and build a SIM database with integrity, which would assist in the curbing of fraudulent activities and the securing of SIM Card-based transactions. 

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said this on the floor of Parliament when she appeared before the House to give an update on the state of the SIM card registration exercise. 

“Mr Speaker, so far, 28,948,142 SIMs have been fully registered while 999,419 have been exempted and so the total active SIMs are 29,947,561.” The Minister said  

The exempted ones are SIM cards belonging to Ghanaians on Peacekeeping Missions, the Staff of the Foreign Ministry on diplomatic missions outside the country and members of the diplomatic community in Ghana. 

“I have also heard some people complain that although they had registered their SIMs, those SIMs were blocked. Several of these people have been people who did not complete the second phase of the process as required. 

“Such people should contact their Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to have the issues resolved and the owners of the SIMs would get their numbers back after duly registering. 

“They must, however, act timeously as the NCA (National Communications Authority) would shortly announce when these moratoria would end, after which all unregistered SIMs would be permanently blocked from the Networks. 

“If your (Mobile) line has been blocked and you still need it, please go and register.” 

She urged those whose SIMs might have been blocked inadvertently, despite having been duly registered, to kindly notify the NCA, so that a full investigation could be conducted into it to determine if it was really the case and why it happened. 

She urged the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to ensure that their systems work, and that no one who had fully registered their SIMs should have it blocked. 

She said what had been achieved so far was that every registered SIM was linked to a Ghana Card, which had the ownership of the Ghana Card verified by the National Identification Authority (NIA). 

She said SIM registration would facilitate the implementation of various government initiations such as mobile money services, digital financial services, and other electronic transactions. 

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) were liaising with the Bank of Ghana to ensure that persons who had their monies locked up on mobile money accounts were retrieved. 

Following the deactivation of unregistered SIM cards, some subscribers have been complaining about their inability to access their funds on mobile money accounts that had been deactivated. 

Touching on the deactivation of the Speaker’s SIM card and other Members of Parliament (MPs), Mrs Owusu-Ekuful said the Ministry would be engaging the Office of the Clerk to Parliament to complete the registration process for the reactivation of their SIM cards. 

The Minister said the Government was giving a one-month ultimatum to subscribers of merchant SIMs to register them or have them deactivated by the end of June 2023. 

She noted that almost 280,000 merchant SIMs were not registered, offering fraudsters an opportunity to use them in perpetuating their activities. 

Mr Samuel Nartey George, Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Select Committee on Communications, urged the Minister to take the right steps to ensure a clean SIM card registered without disenfranchising Ghanaians.