2020, according to officials officials of Mobile Telecommunications giant, MTN Ghana, has been challenging.
The situation, according to Corporate Service Executive Sam Koranteng, cannot be blamed on the spread of the coronavirus disease alone.
Among a list of challenges the company encountered was the inability of millions of customers of the country’s largest mobile Network to have reliable internet for more than 48 hours in January and February, 2020 as the company battled to fix cuts to the West Africa Cable System’s submarine cable which supplies internet connectivity to customers.
Speaking during a recently-held virtual Editors Forum for Media practitioners within the Northern Business District, Corporate Services Executive, Sam Koranteng, explained that aside the blackout, the company experienced several other challenges, including the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and continuous fibre cuts caused by construction works. Fibre cuts, he noted, remain one of the company’s major setbacks.
He said that MTN had to roll out some interventions as a direct result of the impact of COVID-19. The interventions included, among others, zero- rating of over 200 educational websites to help its clients cope with lockdowns and the decrease in economic activities.
“The three-day cyber cut was our biggest challenge coupled with the spread of the coronavirus disease. As a result many businesses and schools were shut and we had to support our customers and the nation at large. We zero-rated over 200 educational websites and the introduction of the free MoMO P2P.
With the out-take of data going high, we also started having capacity issues on our turbonet especially in Accra and government came in with the free sprectrum which we are very grateful,” he explained.
He said the company has since committed over one hundred million Ghana Cedis to complement Ghana’s fight against the coronavirus disease. For instance Some 85,0000 masks to 30 hospitals across the country.
Meanwhile, the telecommunications company is spending over GHC10 million on ongoing projects being undertaken by its Foundation in support of Ghana’s infrastructure drive.
