Telcos Not Collaborating On Tariff Increment – Ken Ashigbe

The CEO of the Chamber of Telecommunications, Ken Ashigbe, has denied suggestions that telecommunication companies have been colluding ahead of the expected increase in service tariffs after the recalibration of the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Speaking on The Point Of View hosted by Bernard Avle on Citi TV, he defended the integrity of the telcos saying the competition among-st the chamber’s members “is as intense as anything.”  The telcos primed to increase the tariffs are Airtel-Tigo, MTN, and Vodafone.

This was in response to an assertion on the show by the Centre Coordinator of CUTS Ghana, Appiah Kusi Adomako, that the telcos were engaging in a collusive behaviour.

Mr. Adomako said the telcos’ move to increase their tariffs on November 1, 2018, is “collusive behaviour and that it is anti-competitive and in countries where we have competition law and anti-trust law, those players can be brought to justice.”

In response, Mr. Ashigbe said the competition was the bread and butter of the telecom industry.

“Our business thrives on competition. If there is any industry in this county where competition has driven prices down, it is the telco industry… The only basis of competition is on price,” he said.