The government’s plan to lower mobile data rates has been laid forth by Mr. Samuel Nartey George, Minister of Communication Technology Innovation, who cited earlier unsuccessful attempts because of difficulties implementing the program.
He emphasized in an exclusive interview with the Ghana News Agency that although some reports indicate Ghana’s data prices are reasonably priced when compared to other African nations, many Ghanaians find it difficult to balance expenses against income.
Many people find it difficult to consistently access the internet because the average cost of 1GB of mobile data (about GHS 17 or $1.37) is almost equal to the daily minimum wage (GHS 19.97 or $1.61).
Though he emphasized that the Ministry would not act on sentiment but rather adhere to the guidelines established by the 23-member Inter-Agency Data Pricing Committee, the Minister gave Ghanaians the assurance that mobile data costs would be changed in the upcoming months.
He said that following 14 days of discussion, the group created a roadmap, which he is currently implementing.
Mr. George emphasized the importance of carefully implementing policies, making sure that alternative networks are strong before changes in pricing impact leading providers.
“If you want me to move from network A because you’ve made them more expensive, is network B going to give me the quality of service I want?” he questioned.
He emphasized that in order to guarantee uniform service quality among providers, all networks must have concurrent investment responsibilities.
Price, quality, and value are given top priority in the Ministry’s goal to lower mobile data costs.
“So, I mean, when we talk value, if today you were getting, say, 100 gig for a certain price, value would mean that you could get more than 100 gig at the same price,” Mr. George explained.
He confirmed that more megabytes would soon be available to Ghanaians at a lower cost than what telecom firms are now charging.
The Ministry’s focus on “hard-core data and evidence” rather than sentiment has been reinforced by the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) dispatch of a team to Ghana for an impartial evaluation.
Future pricing strategies will be informed by the evaluation, which will make sure that data affordability is in line with economic reality.
Source: newsthemegh.com