| Research project: Developing alternative networks in Ghana |
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| Written by Anders Henten | |
| Friday, 29 April 2005 | |
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Traditionally telecom services have been provided by incumbent operators. However, technological developments and structural changes in the telecom markets have given rise to different modes for the provision of communication services and alternative network that can accelerate the bridging of the digital divide and increase access to services. These experiences in the global industry provide some fillip to the analysis of the situation in Ghana to see how alternative networks are evolving in the country providing access to communication services. The study will first set the stage by providing an overview of the main telecom network in the country. Furthermore, it will examine the political and regulatory framework, establishing the legal platform for the development of communication networks. The main emphasis in the paper, however, will be on a review of the development of various alternative networks – with respect to the types of service they provide, sources of investment, factors influencing their investment, etc. The situation in Ghana, presently, in the fixed network area is that the incumbent, Ghana Telecom, heavily dominates the field and that competition is very little developed. In the mobile area, there is much more competition, and there is also a much faster development in the number of users. In addition to this, different organisations create their own access facilities. This applies to larger Internet Service Providers – first and foremost BusyInternet; it applies to larger corporations such as Barclays Bank and Shell Ghana; and, it applies to VSAT data operators as Third Rail, NTS Telecom Ghana and Network Computer Systems. Furthermore, different local initiatives are organised setting up their own access facilities, e.g. by way of VSAT. Moreover, there are thousands of reselling operations (Internet cafes and telecentres) offering telephony and Internet access. The study will put emphasis on examining the development of the different ‘grass-root’ initiatives, including the technology solutions implemented and the way they are organised, commercially and otherwise. The study will be performed by Godfred Frempong, PhD and senior researcher Draft version for comments by 1 September 2005 |
