Accra (Greater
Accra) 07 July 2003 - The Ghana Telecommunications Company (Ghana Telecom) Limited
and Alcatel Shanghai Bell of China have signed a $150 million contract agreement
under which Ghana Telecom is expected to improve and expand its telephone
infrastructure in all parts of the country within the next three years.
The agreement,
which has been described as the biggest by the company, was made possible by
President J.A. Kufuor’s state visit to
Under the
contract, all fixed and mobile network extension and upgrading will be
undertaken, in line with the company’s three-year roll-out programme, while a
platform which will enhance network services as well as the fibre optic
transmission network in the Greater Accra Region will also be provided.
To this end,
the President’s ambition to have all senior secondary schools in the country
connected to telephone lines to enable them have access to Internet services
will be achieved. In addition, more than 650,000 fixed lines will be added to
the existing lines, including the provision of additional cell sites of Ghana
Telecom’s mobile phone service to improve reception and efficiency.
Mr Oystein
Bjorge, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Telecom, and Mr Yuan Xin, Chairman of
Alcatel Shanghai Bell, initialled for their respective companies.
Mr Bjorge said
owing to the urgent need for the upgrading and extension of the company’s
network, frantic efforts were made to conclude negotiations on the contract in
a record time.
He said site
preparation in
To reach this
goal, he said, the two companies need to build and operate networks with
sufficient capacity and with excellent quality of service, adding that “the two
parties have to continue the good co-operation already in existence,
demonstrate ability to solve problems arising and have the flexibility to
adjust plans whenever required”.
On his part, Mr
Xin pledged the determination of his company to deliver to the best of its ability
to ensure that the project succeeds.
He commended
President Kufuor for the effort he put in to negotiate for the contract and
expressed the hope that the contract will strengthen the bond of friendship
between the two countries.
The Minister of
Communications and Technology, Albert Kan-Dapaah, said the signing of the
contract clearly demonstrates Ghana Telecom’s determination to meet the
challenges ahead and rightly respond to the real needs of the country in the telecom
sector.
He admitted
that the services of the company have not been satisfactory over the years, adding
that customers continue to complain about poor service delivery.
Mr Kan-Dapaah
said the contract is a major procurement exercise to provide a minimum of
650,000 telephone lines to its customers, facilitate broadband services and
centralise the company’s billing system including its general quality of
service.
He pledged the
support of the ministry to ensure that the contract succeeds to improve the
cordial relations between
GRi.../
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