Vodafone Ghana, one of the nation’s leading telecommunication service providers, has launched its 4G service to provide faster data and more coverage for its over 9.5 million customers.

Vodafone is also extending the 4.5G service on its sites to enhance technologies and digital services.

Mrs Ursla Owusu Ekuful, the Minister of Communications, who launched the 4G service, noted that the occasion marked a consolidation of solid partnership between the Government and Vodafone Group way back in 2008.

Mrs Ekuful explained that Ghana settled on Vodafone as partners in the then Ghana Telecommunication Company Limited because it had a master plan for the communication industry and Vodafone was best suited.

“We wanted to achieve liberalisation, accessibility, affordability, and technological dominance. Customers now have a real power of choice, quality and empowerment.”

According to the Communication Minister, new technologies such as long-term evolution 4G were necessary game changers, adding that, “We now live in a whole new world where mobile technology is pervasive and a necessary evil”.

She said Ghana now with 80.3 per cent data penetration was growing close to 100 per cent mobile phone penetration among other things, describing the growth as impressive.

“It shows how far we have come and heaps a welcome pressure on government to ensure that the right policy environment is created to help companies and individuals to grow,” she added.

She described Vodafone’s 4G launch as timely moment for the industry stressing that customers and stakeholders would turn it up when it comes to speed, reliability and stability and government which owns 30 per cent shares in Vodafone Ghana was truly excited about it.

Mrs Ekuful said as a Ministry, it had always been their responsibility to ensure that the telecom sector was properly guided with relevant policies and initiatives that would seek to enhance the sector; make the operators more willing to engage and endanger healthy competition.

“This, we will continue to do without compromising on quality efficiency,” she said.

She said: “4G is great but I see it as a step towards deploying 5G by the industry…Do not be surprised if 5G reaches this shore in no time. I know Vodafone will be ever ready to embrace it when it does come”.

She congratulated Ms Yolanda Cuba, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Ghana, for being one of the progressive and successful leaders of Vodafone Ghana and an accomplished female industry player.

 Mr Joe Anokye, the Director General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), said the Authority had confidence in Vodafone to execute an excellent technology solution to the benefit of Ghanaians.

According to Mr Anokye, one of the desires of the NCA was to see the best of technology to empower the population socially and economically.

The NCA Boss said the country now had a healthy sector that was poised to move the nation to the next stage of development.

However, he said issues relating to privacy and data misappropriation were creating problems for the telecommunications industry all over the world.

He said stringent measures were being put in place in both Europe and the Unites States to tighten the sector and protect customers and users alike.

“We have the same approach as we strive to cure the industry of illegal practices, while making our industry an example in the sub-region and the continent at large.

It is our duty as regulators to continue to impress upon telecom companies to consistently become agents of change not only focusing on telecommunication solutions and revenue generation, but also avenues for education and empowerment of the communities in which workers live and work,” Mr Anokye stressed.

He said the launch would benefit the 9.5 million customers of Vodafone and bring more potential customers who would move to 4G to enjoy the benefits.

Ms Cuba said the journey of her organisation had been tough acquiring tougher decisions by management and stakeholders and the 4G deployment remained one of Vodafone’s biggest investments since it began its operations in the country.

The outgoing CEO said the launch of the 4G would enable its customers to experience fast speeds, high end network quality, faster downloads and uploads and described her experience in Ghana as an exciting one, saying, her assignment in Ghana had taught her perseverance, determination, grit, aggression and faith.

Dr Kobina Quansah, the Board Chair of Vodafone Ghana, said the 4G technology formed part of a concerted effort to ensure that customers with Vodafone were not left behind in a fast-moving pace of mobile and digital technology.

He said the launch was in total alignment of Vodafone’s promise of an exciting future for its customers.

Source: GNA