By Justina Paaga, GNA
Takoradi, June 20, GNA - The Management of Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) has stated that the rampant cuts of its fibre optic cable continue to be a major challenge that undermine the company's ability to provide quality service to its more than 20 million customers.
Mr Prince Owusu Nyarko, Regional Senior Manager for South-West Business District, noted that the frequent damage caused to the company's fibre optic cables imposes a huge cost on the service provider, but most importantly created difficulties for customers in affected areas in their quest to access telecommunications services.
Mr Nyarko who said this when a team of MTN officials met Editors and Senior media practitioners in Takoradi as part of its annual editors fora held for the media across the country, noted that a huge percentage of the fibre cuts were as a result of road construction.
The Regional Senior Manager pointed out that the situation was getting worse by the day despite the vigorous campaigns to sensitize the public against it, noting that fibre optic cables were national assets and should be the responsibility of all to protect them.
Mr Nyarko said in the Western Region alone, a total of 82 fibre cuts cases have recently been reported and mentioned the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality as having the highest fibre cuts situation due to roads construction in the area.
He said MTN would continue to liaise and discuss with stakeholders such as road contractors, Ghana Highway Authority, Department of Feeder Roads, and Urban Roads to share with them their fibre optic cables map so as to reduce fibre cuts during roads construction.
According to him, 56 per cents of fibre cuts were caused by road construction and government agencies while 35 percent was by private developers.
The Regional Senior Manager said fibre optic cables played a major role in telephone calls and that the company had from January to March this year, spent two million cedis to address fibre cut issues and that nationally an amount of 4.4 million cedis has so far been spent on relocation of fibre optic cables.
The forum also focused on the 12 years existence of MTN Foundation of which Mr Nyarko said more than 13 million cedis has been spent on its focused areas of education, health and economic empowerment.
He said the company had also introduced a number of programmes such as blood donation, time with the heroes, Y'ello care, outreach, customer soirées and rural telephony.
On its Mobile Money programme, he said in the past 10 years a total of 13 million customers have been registered onto the MoMo programme creating jobs for about 5,000 agents and that 139 million cedis has been paid as interest to customers.
Touching on network expansion, he said more than 160 million dollar has been invested in upgrading and expansion of its network as it rolls out 4G+, which is to ensure high data capacity and speed to meet the ever increasing bandwidth needs of its customers.
He pointed out that the company has chalked a lot of successes including the receipt of 45 awards in Ghana, Africa and globally.
Mr Nyarko however said despite the numerous successes chalked by the company, it was still saddled with the challenge of fibre optic cables cuts, battery theft and erratic power supply.
GNA
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