Ghana - Telecoms, Mobile, Broadband and Forecasts

• Key statistics
• Market and industry overviews
• Regulatory environment and structural reform
• Major players (fixed, mobile and broadband)
• Infrastructure developments
• Mobile voice and data markets, including 3G
• ARPU trends
• Internet development
• Broadband, including 3G mobile
• Convergence (voice/data, fixed/wireless/mobile)

1. Key Statistics

2. Telecommunications Market

2.1 Overview of Ghana’s telecom market

3. Regulatory Environment

3.1 Regulatory authority

3.1.1 National Communications Authority (NCA)

3.2 West African common regulatory framework 2005

3.3 New competition framework 2006

3.4 Electronic Communications Bill

3.5 Electronic Transaction Bill

3.6 Universal service

3.6.1 The eCARE project

3.7 Telecom sector liberalisation

3.8 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

3.9 Fixed-line licence conditions

4. Fixed Network Operators in Ghana

4.1 Ghana Telecom (Vodafone)

4.1.1 First privatisation 1997-2007

4.1.2 The Telenor period, 2003-2005

4.1.3 Second privatisation 2008

4.1.4 Services

4.1.5 Tariffs

4.1.6 Network infrastructure

4.1.7 Wireless Local Loop (WLL)

4.1.8 National fibre backbone

4.2 Western Telesystems Ghana Ltd (Westel, Zain)

4.2.1 Nationalisation 2006

4.2.2 Re-privatisation 2007

4.3 Capital Telecom Ltd (defunct)

5. Telecommunications Infrastructure

5.1 Public payphones

5.2 International infrastructure

5.3 Submarine cables

5.3.1 SAT-3/WASC

5.3.2 Other projects

6. Data Market

6.1 Domestic backbone network infrastructure

6.1.1 Ghana National Public Data Network (DataNet)

6.1.2 GT FastNet

6.1.3 VoltaCom

6.1.4 Internet Solutions

6.1.5 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

6.1.6 VSAT networks

7. Internet Market

7.1 Overview

7.1.1 Internet statistics

7.2 Limited availability of PCs

7.3 Internet access locations

7.3.1 Shared access centres

7.3.2 Mobile Telecentre To-Go

7.4 Dial-up

7.5 ISP market

7.5.1 Major ISPs

7.5.2 Ghana Internet Service Providers Association (GISPA)

7.5.3 Ghana Internet Exchange Point (GIX)

8. Broadband Market

8.1 Overview

8.2 Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)

8.3 Wireless broadband

8.3.1 iBurst

8.3.2 WiMAX

8.3.3 WiFi

8.3.4 CDMA (Kasapa)

8.4 Powerline Communication (PLC)

8.5 Internet via satellite

8.6 International bandwidth

8.6.1 SAT-3/WASC submarine fibre

8.6.2 Other international fibre projects

8.6.3 O3b

9. Convergence

9.1 VoIP telephony

9.2 Broadband TV (IPTV)

9.3 E-Commerce

9.4 E-government

9.5 Distance learning

10. Mobile Communications

10.1 Overview of Ghana’s mobile market

10.1.1 Mobile statistics

10.2 Regulatory issues

10.2.1 Licensing

10.2.2 Tariffs

10.2.3 Interconnect

10.2.4 Taxation

10.2.5 Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

10.2.6 Infrastructure sharing

10.3 Major mobile operators

10.3.1 Vodafone (Ghana Telecom, OneTouch)

10.3.2 MTN Ghana (formerly ScanCom, Spacefon Areeba)

10.3.3 Millicom Ghana (Mobitel, Tigo)

10.3.4 Kasapa

10.3.5 Zain (Celtel, Westel)

10.3.6 Globacom

10.4 Mobile voice services

10.4.1 Prepaid services

10.4.2 Satellite mobile

10.5 Mobile data services

10.5.1 Short Message Service (SMS)

10.5.2 Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)

10.5.3 GPRS, EDGE, WAP

10.5.4 BlackBerry

10.5.5 Mobile TV

10.6 Third generation (3G)

10.7 Mobile content and applications

10.7.1 Mobile banking

10.7.2 M-payments

11. Forecasts

11.1 Forecasts - fixed-line market to 2015

11.2 Forecasts - Internet market to 2015

11.3 Forecasts - broadband market to 2015

11.4 Forecasts - mobile market to 2015

12. Glossary of Abbreviations

List of Tables and Exhibits

Table 1 - Country statistics Ghana - 2009

Table 2 - Telephone network statistics - 2008

Table 3 - Internet provider statistics - 2008

Table 4 - Internet user statistics - 2008

Table 5 - Mobile statistics - 2008

Table 6 - National telecommunications authority

Table 7 - Fixed-lines in service and teledensity - 1995; 1997; 1999 - 2008

Table 8 - Internet users and penetration rate - 1996; 1998; 2000 - 2008

Table 9 - Mobile operators, subscribers and annual change - 2008

Table 10 - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate - 1995; 1997; 1999 - 2008

Table 11 - MTN Ghana monthly ARPU - 2002 - 2008

Table 12 - Forecast fixed-line and fixed-wireless subscribers - 2010; 2015

Table 13 - Forecast Internet users - 2010; 2015

Table 14 - Forecast broadband subscribers - 2010; 2015

Table 15 - Forecast mobile subscribers - 2010; 2015

Exhibit 1 - SMS as a weapon against drug counterfeiting