Ursula: Alternative Way To Restore Full Internet Service In Force

By Hlordzie Mawuena Jessica On Mar 20, 2024

The Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has said government has given indication to all mobile network operators (MNOs) in the country to address the internet disruption by the end of March 2024 as part of the immediate intervention taken with respect to the issue.

Addressing Parliament of Ghana on Monday, she said, “all MNOs must arrange and implement alternative routes to restore full service by 30th March 2024. Organisations and enterprises are encouraged to host their content, databases, applications, and services in at least two tier 3/4 data centres in different locations. Public organisations must utilise the national Data Centre as either their primary or back up data host.”

Another immediate solution to the internet outrage she indicated is the fact that, government will license the satellite internet network Starlink to start operating in Ghana.

“The government will license satellite gateway earth stations, landing rights, and satellite earth station networks. Oneweb has already been licenced, Starlink is in the process of being licenced and other operators are being encouraged to land in Ghana. We must also invest in operationalising RAScom, the Regional African Satellite Company instead of each country hound it alone to provide satellite internet services.”

Before the recent internet disruption, the minister said the agency under her ministry did not have the framework for licensing satellites; however, over the years, it has equipped itself with the requisite knowledge to license these satellites.

“The NCA did not have a framework for licensing satellites but the Authority has in the last year concluded bench-marking and learning from other jurisdictions where this has been implemented. Currently, they have developed a satellite licensing framework in Ghana which has been approved by its board and awaiting the final policy approval.

“This framework will provide the policies and rules relating to the application for frequency authorisations for satellite services in Ghana. It outlines the various categories of satellite services, the licensing requirements, and its associated fees,” she added.

Explaining how the ministry intends to avoid any such future occurrences, she said, “all MNOs and ISPs will be required to establish connectivity with other sub marine cable providers that are not present in Ghana. All internet service providers should be obliged to connect to additional undersea cables, satellite options, and terrestrial links through neighbouring countries. Mixed infrastructure with adequate capacity is required to provide redundancy to Ghana’s internet connectivity,”

She acknowledged the incremental improvements in consumer experience and emphasised the NCA’s commitment to issuing regular communications until full restoration of services is achieved.

Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful reiterated the government’s dedication to addressing the crisis and restoring full capacity for data services.

She emphasised the importance of ongoing collaboration with international partners and the NCA’s role in ensuring the reliability and resilience of Ghana’s telecommunications infrastructure.

The briefing provided insight into the challenges posed by the undersea fibre cuts and the proactive measures being taken to mitigate their impact, reassuring Parliament and the public of the government’s commitment to resolving the issue swiftly and effectively.

“We have also ensured that the national data center and internet gateway has redundancy &and is functioning properly. All the public agencies hosted there are operational. In addition, under my leadership, we have completed the connectivity to 951 agencies nationwide and all 261 districts which have been connected to the same internet gateway with redundancy provided through Satellite links which are also operational. This GOVNET is providing connectivity to critical infrastructure such as hospitals, post offices, police stations, courts etc. The Rural Telephony project will also connect some four million citizens to voice and data services when completed this year.

“As a nation we need to be proud of the efforts we have made in last few years to build the critical national infrastructure, reduce the digital divide & provide universal access to connectivity. The telecom sector which has been under invested in for several years has seen new investment with the Telecel acquisition of Vodafone and recently announced joint venture between AT and Hannam Investment partners.

“We have worked with the operators and cable companies to identify alternate routes, and implement those routes as quickly as possible. These routes are being allocated as we speak, and every day will see better and better capacity onboarded for all operators until the main cable breaks are repaired. In addition, I have shepherded the multi-year process of getting the Facebook/2Africa 45,000 km cable to Ghana; and while the fiber recently landed here in November last year, it will be operational by the end of this year to increase the country’s redundancy and capacity. As the newest cable, its capacity is 180 Terabits per second, multiple times that of the older fibers. We will endeavour to seek and implement forward looking measures that will safeguard the use of and our adoption of digital solutions” she concluded.