Accra — I have been analyzing the telecommunications industry in Ghana for some time now and I can honestly say that the Ghanaian consumer is being taken for a ride by these telephone companies.

This assertion is as a comparison to phone service provision in Europe of which I am familiar with and the type of service that currently prevails in Ghana.

As compared to the quality of service that one gets in Europe, the quality of phone service provision in Ghana is absolutely appalling - this when the mobile phone operators in this country claim to have spent millions of US dollars on improving the system.

Before we get into some of the instances of poor mobile phone service in Ghana let us take a brief look at the history of the phone/telecommunications industry. Contrary to what many Ghanaians have been taught to believe, the phone and mobile telecommunications technology was in fact first created by Afrikan people.

For example, it was Afrikan American Granville T. Woods (1856-1910) that invented the telephone transmitter that makes it possible to make phone calls from a distance i.e. Accra to Kumasi. Without this technology it is virtually impossible to make long distance calls. The patent no. for this Afrikan American's great invention is 308,817 and was invented on the 2 December 1884.

The next invention that Granville T. Woods did that is associated with the telecommunications industry is the technology that allows for the transmission of messages by electricity - meaning that this equipment is the foundation stone for being able to send messages via e-mail and SMS. The patent number for this invention is 315,368 and was invented on July 4 1885.

On 11 October 1887, Granville T Woods invented the original telephone system and apparatus that has been modified to the telephone system that we know today. The patent number is 371, 241.

In terms of the cell/mobile phone, again the original technology was first created by an Afrikan American. His name is Henry Sampson who is responsible for inventing the Gamma electric cell that is the foundation block for the cell/mobile phone.

Without this technology the cell/mobile phone would not have been in existence. The following abstract shows you the importance of this invention to the mobile/cell phone.

Abstract:

The present invention relates to a gamma electric cell for producing a high output voltage from a source of radio wherein the gamma electric cell includes a central collector constructed with a dense metal and with the central collector encapsulated within an outer layer of dielectric material.

A further conducive layer is then disposed on or within the electric material so as to provide for a high voltage output between the conducive layer and the central collector upon reception of radiation by the gamma electric cell.

The invention also includes the use of a plurality of collector radiating from the central collector throughout the dielectric material so as to increase the collection area and thereby increase the current and/or output voltage.

Other aspects of the invention are directed to the method of producing a high-voltage output gamma electric cell by encapsulation techniques using a dielectric material which is castable and curable so as to provide for an intimate contact between the collectors and the dielectric material which surrounds and encapsulates the collectors.

Other aspects of the method of encapsulation of the present invention include the use of specific dielectric materials and also the use of elimination of trapped gases within the dielectric cell.

Phone inefficiency

The many problems with the mobile phone network in Ghana can be highlighted in the following manner:

Poor connection. This is major concern to Ghanaian consumers as when they want to make calls the reception they get is poor, even though the person they are talking to is in the same city. At times when one is in conversation, the line suddenly cuts off without any warning which is very frustrating.

This instance is a regular occurrence of these phone providers. Next is the uncanny issue of making a call. Often times the experience of the Ghanaian consumer is that when making a call to even a friend in the next room, a familiar response is "sorry the mobile phone you are trying to call cannot be reached right now, please call later" or the classic one "the mobile phone you are trying to call is currently switched off".

This apart from charging you for a call that one has not even made, it is absolutely scandalous and this shows the inability of the mobile phone operators to offer a good quality connection despite their claims of investing millions of Ghana cedis to improve the quality of the line.

This takes us on to another issue of the lines itself. Many an occasion when one makes a phone call, the caller is told that the mobile number is out of circulation or there is a network error in connection.

The blame for this failure with the lines must lie with Vodafone because when they took charge of 70% of GT, one of the areas in which there were supposed to bring improvements to was the quality of the line via the fiber optic cable network.

When one makes calls to any network this must be done through the fibre optic network cable and so if there are inefficiencies in the system then they lead to the problems that the Ghanaian consumer has experienced when making calls and once more there are unwittingly charged by the mobile phone operators for this inefficiency.

Therefore the onus is on these companies especially Vodafone to ensure that it is able to provide an effective line network so that the problems that the Ghanaian consumer has encountered will be a thing of the past.

Incidentally in Europe and North America, the experience of the consumer in these territories is that they make calls without the experience as seen in Ghana because the phone industry in the US and Europe is highly regulated and the incidents of network error connection and lousy line inefficiency would simply not be tolerated - so the question is why is this being tolerated in Ghana.

Another contentious issue is the charges that these mobile phone operators are charging the Ghanaian consumer. The charges from the various operators range from 15Gp a minute through to 12Gp a minute. This means that in some instances some Ghanaians can spend more than GHc50 a month on phone calls to the various networks which if you consider the average monthly take home pay of most Ghanaians is completely scandalous.

An example to prove that Ghanaian consumers are over charged can be as follows. I made a 20 minute call from my Vodafone number to another local network and I was charged GHc3.00 - However I made a 20 minute call to the UK with my Vodafone number and I was charged GHc2.40. So the question that begs itself is that why is it more cheaper to phone the UK than to phone locally?

This is indication that the Ghanaian consumer's being ripped off by the mobile phone operators. How can local calls be more expensive than international calls? My experience in Europe is that local locals are far cheaper than making calls outside the EU.

Another issue is that in Europe and North America one can have different packages like being able to make unlimited calls and send a certain amount of texts fro only $30 a month.

In a country like Ghana where the minimum wage is low it is astonishing that these mobile phone operators in Ghana have not introduced special packages like those in Europe or North America.

Again, when one considers the average wage in this country in addition to the fact that companies like Vodafone offer these services in the UK, it is scandalous that mobile phone operators in Ghana are not providing a similar service for their clients so that the consumer in Ghana at least can have a choice.

As it stands at the moment the consumer in Ghana has NO choice and is at the mercy of the inordinate charges that these mobile phone companies impose on the Ghanaian consumer. Surely in order for there to be REAL choice for the Ghanaian consumer, a similar system of pay as you go tariffs MUST be introduced in Ghana.

The last issue that warrants grave concern is the introduction by these mobile phone companies wittingly or not so wittingly of an inordinate and spiraling gambling habit.

This gambling nature has manifested itself in the number of so-called special promotions that these mobile phone operators have embarked on.

These mobile phone companies have done their research and they know that Ghanaians have become very materialistic and money conscious and thus will help them recoup their investment by offering these so-called promotional offers.

These schemes under the guise of special promotions have been very cleverly marketed and especially during the World Cup season are offering tempting prizes like cars, tickets to go to South Afrika, "free" airtime, LCD TV's and the like.

In order to win some of the above prizes subscribers are "encouraged" to text as often as they can in order to be in the best position to win. However the very insidious nature of this is that some mobile phone operators are charging upwards of 0.75Gp a text in order for subscribers to text and be in with a chance of winning those prized.

And because Ghanaians have become materially inclined many of them will text and text and text until they believe in their sub-conscious that they will win one of these prizes that they crave so much for.

This insidious form of gambling that the mobile phone companies have embarked upon to rip off the Ghanaian consumer and squeeze more profit from them is not only unethical, it is also morally repugnant and shows that the mobile phone companies have no moral fiber in them.

However, what some of these mobile phone operators would say is that through their corporate responsibility programmes they are going round the country to help the poorest in society.

My response to that that this so-called corporate exercise or responsibility is just sheer spin and cosmetic dressing to show to the gullible Ghanaian public that the mobile phone operators care.

Quite frankly these mobile phone operators are using the naivety and gullibility of Ghanaian people to laugh all the way to the bank.

To be quite candid one of the most despicable things about this form of gambling is that they are using mere children to promote this heinous habit. This insidious act was demonstrated by Zain who alleged that a 14-year-old girl had won GHc45,000 in its Live Your Dream promotion.

Apart from being morally repugnant, this is encouraging mere children to gamble and be hooked on this fetish that could have huge consequences for our young people who think that gambling is the easiest and simplest way of acquiring the material trinkets that are bombarded in their faces and that will enrich their lives.

Aside from the above, if their failure to provide a first class service to the Ghanaian consumer was not insulting enough, these mobile phone operators also owe the Kumasi Metropolitan Authority (KMA) the whopping sum of GHc14 million.

Overall even though they will veraciously deny this the mobile phone companies are ripping off Ghanaians whilst at the same time delivering a poor quality service to their customers and the sooner that they change their ways and begin to offer a more value for money service the better rather than ripping off the consumer with baseless promotional offers.

This is important because the way that these companies have been operating in Ghana with the likes of poor connectivity and at times poor reception would not be tolerated in the West and if these companies can operate efficiently in the West then why not in Ghana.