Some Ghanaians have expressed their frustrations over persistent issues of poor call quality and network disruptions from telecommunication service providers in the country.
This follows recurring instances of network jamming during calls, with some cases where the network completely goes off, leaving users with no service and leaving them facing difficulties in making calls.
Speaking exclusively with GhanaWeb on April 24, 2025, several individuals stated that the unreliable networks disrupt their daily activities and significantly hinder the smooth operation of their businesses.
One of the interviewees, a commercial driver, shared his experience, stating that his network service occasionally goes off completely without any signal.
He added that the service only returns after he switches off his phone, removes the SIM card, and reinserts it.
“It is disturbing us because sometimes I want to make an emergency call but the network signal just goes off. Sometimes, you need to switch it off and back on before you can make a call which is disturbing,” he said.
Another individual echoed similar concerns about how the poor call network negatively impacts his business.
He explained that on several occasions, when attempting to make a call, he receives a notification that the recipient’s phone is off, even though the phone is actually on, expressing deep frustration over the situation.
“We use the network services for business transactions, so if I’m calling my client or supplier and the person is active but I’m not able to reach them, it actually affects business. They need to work on it because it’s bad. You could be calling someone nearby, but the response will say they cannot be reached or are unavailable,” he complained.
In light of this, they are calling on the government, particularly the Minister of Communications, Samuel Nartey George, to address the ongoing challenges with poor network connectivity and call quality.
“… All I want is for the government to help solve the network issues we are facing,” one of the interviewees said.
Meanwhile, speaking on the development exclusively with GhanaWeb’s Mandy Agyemang, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, acknowledged the existence of such challenges.
According to him, the Ministry of Communications is expected to roll out additional spectrum to telecommunication networks which will significantly enhance and improve the quality of network services and calls.
“… MTN and Telecel have a challenge with spectrum. The minister has given authorisation for MTN to be given some particular spectrum. He says Telecel are also to be given the spectrum, so, it is after that and when the spectrum has been deployed, that’s then we will begin to see some improvement in the quality of service,” he said.
Dr Ashigbey also highlighted some of the factors contributing to the poor quality of service, specifically citing the issue of fibre cuts, which occur when there is a break in an optical fibre.
He noted that efforts are currently underway to enhance the protection of fibre infrastructure and prevent such incidents, which often lead to network disruptions.
“Then also you have the challenges with fibre cuts and all of that has been happening and so those also result in the quality of service issues. I’m sure once we get all the spectrum issues dealt with, then we’ll begin to start seeing an improvement. There’s some work also going on to ensure that we can protect the fibre and all of that,” he said.
He indicated plans by the telecommunications chamber to collaboratively work with the communications and roads ministries, respectively, to implement legislative instruments that would make fibre cuts punishable, serving as a deterrent to potential offenders.
“We’re going to be working with the minister to put in place some legislative instruments to make it a bit more punitive so that those who cut the fibre, we can hold them responsible. I have had some engagement with the Minister of Roads as well who is also going to support in that particular direction. In May, there’s going to be a launch of a document. There is a standard specification that has been done for those who do the fibre, so, that those who also leave will do it according to a particular way of doing it.
“It’s a collective effort for all of us, including the media, the need to support in letting people realise the fact that the quality of service we get from telecommunications services is also based on the way we protect the telecommunication infrastructure,” he added.
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