Corporate Executive Officer of MTN; Ms. Cynthia Lumor says WhatsApp and Viber calls have come to stay.
She was explaining her company’s position on a running controversy on the activities of internet communication services providers including whatsApp, Skype and viber which operate differently from traditional telcos that invest so much in network infrastructure.
It was earlier reported that the National Communications Authority has received a petition calling for internet calls to be banned; a crusade allegedly championed by the telcos including MTN.
Ms. Lumor, during a media Editors’ forum in the Ashanti regional capital however explained that “WhatsApp and Viber calls have come to stay. As MTN we welcome competition but what we are saying is that we should all have the same regulations so a certain type of company providing certain types of communication are not regulated whiles other types providing similar services are regulated. It is not fair”. She also explained that MTN will not call for the banning of internet calls because we make revenues from them whenever people download music, videos, photos and even make calls.
She explains how MTN has continually invested in network infrastructure stating that MTN is the first mobile operator in Ghana with a 4 G license. Currently the MTN 4G service is available in every regional capital and key towns across the country. The Ashanti region has 55 4G cell sites while the whole country has 220 sites. MTN targets to have about 475 4G sites to ensure Ghanaians have the same access to mobile technology as other parts of the world.
She also took time to explain how MTN has contributed to National development during her twenty years of existence in Ghana. “MTN as a brand is 10 years in Ghana but our company Scancom is 20 years having started operations in Ghana in 1996 as Spacefon, moving on to areeba, Spacefon-areeba and then as mtn. Beside the services that we provide that improves lives, MTN Ghana foundation has spent about 1.2 million Ghana Cedis in the Ashanti region building schools, hospital blocks, dormitory blocks, distributing equipment and setting up funds as in the case of the KNUST among several humanitarian services. We have won several awards for some of these relief services we continue to provide to make life easy for Ghanaians”
