A six-member delegation from Afriwave Telecom on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on the Acting Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Rev. Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko to congratulate him on his appointment.
The visit was also for Afriwave to discuss key industry concerns with the new Director-General, including revenue mobilization and tariff adjustments.
Afriwave is the only interconnect clearinghouse for the telecom industry in Ghana. All interconnect calls and SMS, plus incoming international traffic go through Afriwave’s clearinghouse before terminating on the intended network.
This set up makes it easier for the telcos to reconcile interconnect fees due each other.
Since it started operations in 2016, its tariffs have remained fixed in spite of rising inflation and falling cedi rate against the dollar.
Meanwhile, of the three telcos in Ghana today, it is only one which really pay their fees to Afriwave. Again when it comes to incoming international calls, almost all of the carriers which go through Afriwave owe.
Time to adjust Afriwave’s tariffs is long overdue.
During the engagement with the NCA Boss, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afriwave, Francis Poku, acknowledged Rev. Ing. Fianko’s deep industry experience, stating that as someone familiar with telecom regulatory challenges, he understands the complexities facing Afriwave.
He was hopeful that the new NCA’s boss’s experience in the industry will rub off on his
leadership of the Authority.
Apart from Francis Poku, the other others on the Afriwave team were Chief Operating Officer (COO), Delali Blekpe, Legal and Regulatory Manager, Sulley Abdulai, Commercial Director Henry Searyoh, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Thomas Gyabaah, and Chief
Technology Officer (CTO), Kwame Anokye.
Rev. Ing. Fianko, assured the Afriwave team that the Authority remains open to discussions aimed at addressing concerns and fostering sustainable growth within the telecom sector.
