Telecommunication Reform in Ghana

In 1996 Ghana privatized its incumbent telecommunications firm by selling 30 percent of Ghana Telecom to Telekom Malaysia, licensing a second network operator, and allowing multiple mobile firms to enter the market. The reforms yielded mixed result...

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Main Authors: Haggarty, Luke, Shirley, Mary M., Wallsten, Scott
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/03/2166849/telecommunication-reform-ghana
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18314
id okr-10986-18314
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-183142021-04-23T14:03:42Z Telecommunication Reform in Ghana Haggarty, Luke Shirley, Mary M. Wallsten, Scott ACCOUNTING ASSETS AVERAGE COSTS BIDDING BORROWING CAPITAL FLIGHT COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE CONSUMERS CORPORATE TAXES DEBT DEBT SERVICE DECISION-MAKING DEMOCRACY DISECONOMIES DISECONOMIES OF SCALE DIVIDENDS DUOPOLY ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES ELECTRICITY EMPLOYMENT EXCESS DEMAND EXCHANGE RATE EXPENDITURES FISCAL DISCIPLINE GDP GDP DEFLATOR INEFFICIENCY INFLATION INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS INTERNATIONAL CALLS LABOR PRODUCTIVITY LEGISLATION LICENSES LOCAL CALLS MONOPOLIES NET WORTH NETWORKS PAYPHONES POLICY MAKERS POLITICAL SYSTEMS PORTS POSTAL SERVICES PRICE CONTROLS PROGRAMS PROPERTY RIGHTS PUBLIC SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR DEFICIT PUBLIC SPENDING REAL GDP SERVICE PROVIDERS SERVICE QUALITY SIDE PAYMENTS STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT SUBSCRIBERS SWITCHES TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS TELECOM SECTOR TELECOMMUNICATION TELECOMMUNICATION REFORM TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY TELECOMMUNICATIONS REFORM TELECOMMUNICATIONS REFORMS TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES TELEPHONE LINES TELEPHONE PENETRATION TELEPHONES TRANSPARENCY TREASURY UNIVERSAL ACCESS UNIVERSAL SERVICE UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS VALUATION VALUE ADDED VALUE ADDED SERVICES VOICE TELEPHONY TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES COMPETITIVENESS PRIVATIZATION OF SERVICES GOVERNMENT COMMITMENTS POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT REFORM IMPLEMENTATION TELEPHONE LINES POLITICAL RISK ANALYSIS LABOR PRODUCTIVITY SUBSCRIBERS SERVICE DELIVERY VOICE TELEPHONY In 1996 Ghana privatized its incumbent telecommunications firm by selling 30 percent of Ghana Telecom to Telekom Malaysia, licensing a second network operator, and allowing multiple mobile firms to enter the market. The reforms yielded mixed results. Landline telephone penetration increased dramatically while the number of mobile subscribers surpassed even this higher level of fixed line subscribers. On the other hand, the network did not reach the levels the government hoped, the second network operator never really got off the ground, and the regulator remained weak and relatively ineffective. The sustainability of competition is unclear. The government ended Telekom Malaysia's management of Ghana Telecom and has invited Norway's Telenor as a strategic partner. What this means in practice remains unclear, and the process for selecting Telenor lacked any transparency. Meanwhile, some of the mobile firms are in precarious financial positions. Competition is still relatively strong, but its sustainability will depend on the government's future commitment to ensuring it. 2014-05-14T20:29:29Z 2014-05-14T20:29:29Z 2003-03 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/03/2166849/telecommunication-reform-ghana http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18314 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2983 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa Ghana
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic ACCOUNTING
ASSETS
AVERAGE COSTS
BIDDING
BORROWING
CAPITAL FLIGHT
COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
CONSUMERS
CORPORATE TAXES
DEBT
DEBT SERVICE
DECISION-MAKING
DEMOCRACY
DISECONOMIES
DISECONOMIES OF SCALE
DIVIDENDS
DUOPOLY
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES
ELECTRICITY
EMPLOYMENT
EXCESS DEMAND
EXCHANGE RATE
EXPENDITURES
FISCAL DISCIPLINE
GDP
GDP DEFLATOR
INEFFICIENCY
INFLATION
INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS
INTERNATIONAL CALLS
LABOR PRODUCTIVITY
LEGISLATION
LICENSES
LOCAL CALLS
MONOPOLIES
NET WORTH
NETWORKS
PAYPHONES
POLICY MAKERS
POLITICAL SYSTEMS
PORTS
POSTAL SERVICES
PRICE CONTROLS
PROGRAMS
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PUBLIC SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR DEFICIT
PUBLIC SPENDING
REAL GDP
SERVICE PROVIDERS
SERVICE QUALITY
SIDE PAYMENTS
STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT
SUBSCRIBERS
SWITCHES
TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS
TELECOM SECTOR
TELECOMMUNICATION
TELECOMMUNICATION REFORM
TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
TELECOMMUNICATIONS REFORM
TELECOMMUNICATIONS REFORMS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
TELEPHONE LINES
TELEPHONE PENETRATION
TELEPHONES
TRANSPARENCY
TREASURY
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
UNIVERSAL SERVICE
UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS
VALUATION
VALUE ADDED
VALUE ADDED SERVICES
VOICE TELEPHONY TELECOMMUNICATIONS
PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES
COMPETITIVENESS
PRIVATIZATION OF SERVICES
GOVERNMENT COMMITMENTS
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
REFORM IMPLEMENTATION
TELEPHONE LINES
POLITICAL RISK ANALYSIS
LABOR PRODUCTIVITY
SUBSCRIBERS
SERVICE DELIVERY
VOICE TELEPHONY
spellingShingle ACCOUNTING
ASSETS
AVERAGE COSTS
BIDDING
BORROWING
CAPITAL FLIGHT
COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
CONSUMERS
CORPORATE TAXES
DEBT
DEBT SERVICE
DECISION-MAKING
DEMOCRACY
DISECONOMIES
DISECONOMIES OF SCALE
DIVIDENDS
DUOPOLY
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES
ELECTRICITY
EMPLOYMENT
EXCESS DEMAND
EXCHANGE RATE
EXPENDITURES
FISCAL DISCIPLINE
GDP
GDP DEFLATOR
INEFFICIENCY
INFLATION
INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS
INTERNATIONAL CALLS
LABOR PRODUCTIVITY
LEGISLATION
LICENSES
LOCAL CALLS
MONOPOLIES
NET WORTH
NETWORKS
PAYPHONES
POLICY MAKERS
POLITICAL SYSTEMS
PORTS
POSTAL SERVICES
PRICE CONTROLS
PROGRAMS
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PUBLIC SECTOR
PUBLIC SECTOR DEFICIT
PUBLIC SPENDING
REAL GDP
SERVICE PROVIDERS
SERVICE QUALITY
SIDE PAYMENTS
STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT
SUBSCRIBERS
SWITCHES
TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS
TELECOM SECTOR
TELECOMMUNICATION
TELECOMMUNICATION REFORM
TELECOMMUNICATION SECTOR
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
TELECOMMUNICATIONS REFORM
TELECOMMUNICATIONS REFORMS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
TELEPHONE LINES
TELEPHONE PENETRATION
TELEPHONES
TRANSPARENCY
TREASURY
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
UNIVERSAL SERVICE
UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATIONS
VALUATION
VALUE ADDED
VALUE ADDED SERVICES
VOICE TELEPHONY TELECOMMUNICATIONS
PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES
COMPETITIVENESS
PRIVATIZATION OF SERVICES
GOVERNMENT COMMITMENTS
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
REFORM IMPLEMENTATION
TELEPHONE LINES
POLITICAL RISK ANALYSIS
LABOR PRODUCTIVITY
SUBSCRIBERS
SERVICE DELIVERY
VOICE TELEPHONY
Haggarty, Luke
Shirley, Mary M.
Wallsten, Scott
Telecommunication Reform in Ghana
geographic_facet Africa
Ghana
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2983
description In 1996 Ghana privatized its incumbent telecommunications firm by selling 30 percent of Ghana Telecom to Telekom Malaysia, licensing a second network operator, and allowing multiple mobile firms to enter the market. The reforms yielded mixed results. Landline telephone penetration increased dramatically while the number of mobile subscribers surpassed even this higher level of fixed line subscribers. On the other hand, the network did not reach the levels the government hoped, the second network operator never really got off the ground, and the regulator remained weak and relatively ineffective. The sustainability of competition is unclear. The government ended Telekom Malaysia's management of Ghana Telecom and has invited Norway's Telenor as a strategic partner. What this means in practice remains unclear, and the process for selecting Telenor lacked any transparency. Meanwhile, some of the mobile firms are in precarious financial positions. Competition is still relatively strong, but its sustainability will depend on the government's future commitment to ensuring it.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Haggarty, Luke
Shirley, Mary M.
Wallsten, Scott
author_facet Haggarty, Luke
Shirley, Mary M.
Wallsten, Scott
author_sort Haggarty, Luke
title Telecommunication Reform in Ghana
title_short Telecommunication Reform in Ghana
title_full Telecommunication Reform in Ghana
title_fullStr Telecommunication Reform in Ghana
title_full_unstemmed Telecommunication Reform in Ghana
title_sort telecommunication reform in ghana
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/03/2166849/telecommunication-reform-ghana
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18314
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