Minister gives telcos end-of-year deadline to improve network services

Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel George, has cautioned mobile network companies to improve their services by December 31, 2025 or face large fines. Part of the money from these fines will go back to customers who are affected by the poor service.

This strong message was given during a meeting on May 30, 2025, with top managers from MTN, Telecel, and AT. The minister said it’s not enough to have big infrastructure if the service people get is still bad. “We are not doing sentiments. We are doing engineering,” Mr. George said. “If you have infrastructure in place but your service is poor, we must begin to take regulatory action.”

A report from the National Communications Authority (NCA) showed that people across 48 towns had similar complaints. The report looked at things like how long calls take to connect, call quality, internet speed, and 3G coverage. The findings showed that all three companies are not doing well in many areas.

The minister pointed out that places like Amasaman and East Legon still suffer from poor service, even though the networks claim to have improved coverage. Some parts of Accra are even experiencing full network “blackouts.”

Mr. George said another nationwide test will happen later this year. “On the basis of that result, if we don’t see improvements, we will have to start taking decisive action,” he said.

He also announced a new rule: “About 40 per cent of any fines imposed on defaulting telcos would be returned to the affected consumers, either through bonus data or call time.”

The companies have until June 30, 2025, to accept new network spectrum, which should help with service quality. Mr. George added, “We know you can’t complete upgrades in three months, but we must see that the process has begun. The Ghanaian people must feel the impact of the spectrum rollout by the end of this year.”

In reply, MTN Ghana’s boss Stephen Blewett shared plans to spend $230 million to improve their network, open 300 new stores, and hire 400 staff.

Telecel and AT also promised upgrades. AT’s CEO Leo Skarlatos said the improvements will be “clearly visible by the first quarter of the following year.”

The minister also talked about plans to lower data costs slowly to avoid shocking the market.