The Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, has issued a firm warning to telecommunications operators, declaring that they will be held accountable for delivering on commitments to improve service quality across the country.
Addressing stakeholders, Mr Fianko did not mince words as he highlighted growing public dissatisfaction with telecom services, describing quality of service and coverage as the most pressing challenge confronting the sector today.
“Across this country, the public is telling us in growing numbers and in increasingly clear terms that the service they are paying for is not the service they are receiving,” he stated.
He pointed to persistent issues such as dropped calls, slow data speeds, and unreliable coverage beyond major urban centres, noting that these concerns have become the most frequent complaints lodged with the regulator.
Despite Ghana achieving over 95% to 99% network coverage, the NCA boss stressed that accessibility does not necessarily translate into usability, particularly in peri-urban and rural communities where service quality often falls short.
“This is today the single biggest threat to the trust our industry has spent 30 years building,” he warned.
Mr Fianko reiterated the Authority’s position with emphasis: “The service Ghanaians pay for must be the service they receive,” adding that closing the coverage gap remains the sector’s most urgent priority.
To address the situation, the NCA has intensified regulatory measures aimed at enforcing compliance and improving transparency. According to him, the Authority has tightened quality of service benchmarks and will soon publish performance data to allow consumers to compare how each network is meeting its obligations.
“We will enforce where enforcement is required,” he stressed, signalling a more assertive regulatory posture.
He further revealed that mobile network operators (MNOs) have already submitted detailed plans outlining the root causes of declining service quality and proposed solutions. These plans include investments in capacity expansion, deployment of new sites, transmission upgrades, improved power reliability, and the rollout of advanced technologies.
The NCA, he said, has reviewed these submissions and considers them credible—but will now focus on ensuring strict implementation.
“We will hold them to their plans,” Mr Fianko affirmed.
In addition, the authority is preparing to launch a nationwide consumer education campaign aimed at empowering users with knowledge about service quality standards, reinforcing the role of informed consumers in driving accountability.
As Ghana’s digital economy continues to expand, the NCA boss underscored that improving service quality is no longer optional but essential to sustaining trust, supporting innovation, and ensuring inclusive connectivity.
“The next phase of our communications journey must be defined not just by coverage, but by consistent, reliable, and high-quality service for every Ghanaian,” he concluded.
