Telecommunication Reform in Ghana

Haggarty, Luke ; Shirley, Mary M. ; Wallsten, Scott

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCOUNTING;    ASSETS;    AVERAGE COSTS;    BIDDING;    BORROWING;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2983
RP-ID  :  WPS2983

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

In 1996 Ghana privatized its incumbenttelecommunications firm by selling 30 percent of GhanaTelecom to Telekom Malaysia, licensing a second networkoperator, and allowing multiple mobile firms to enter themarket. The reforms yielded mixed results. Landlinetelephone penetration increased dramatically while thenumber of mobile subscribers surpassed even this higherlevel of fixed line subscribers. On the other hand, thenetwork did not reach the levels the government hoped, thesecond network operator never really got off the ground, andthe regulator remained weak and relatively ineffective. Thesustainability of competition is unclear. The governmentended Telekom Malaysia's management of Ghana Telecomand has invited Norway's Telenor as a strategicpartner. What this means in practice remains unclear, andthe process for selecting Telenor lacked any transparency.Meanwhile, some of the mobile firms are in precariousfinancial positions. Competition is still relatively strong,but its sustainability will depend on the government'sfuture commitment to ensuring it.