The National Communications Authority (NCA) is set to introduce a compensation framework for mobile phone and broadband subscribers who experience service disruptions due to network faults beyond their control.
Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, unveiled the proposal on Monday during a press briefing in Accra as part of the “Government Accountability Series.”
He said the initiative aims to provide relief to consumers who bear the brunt of service failures for which they bear no responsibility.
“I have tasked the regulator with preparing a framework for customer remediation and sanctions where operators fall short, to ensure that subscribers receive some benefit when they lose service,” Mr. George stated.
The Minister, who also serves as Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, said the compensation scheme is one of several measures his ministry plans to implement before the end of the year.
He added that the NCA has been directed to develop clear guidelines not only for compensating affected customers but also for imposing penalties on telecom operators who fail to meet minimum service standards.
The announcement comes amid mounting public concern over frequent fibre cuts and network outages nationwide.
Mr. George revealed that Ghana has recorded over 8,000 fibre cuts so far this year, with nearly 4,300 occurring within the first six months alone. The cost of repairs has already surpassed US$20 million.
Road construction, particularly under the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme, accounts for approximately half of these disruptions, according to the Minister.
Illegal mining operations (galamsey) and activities by private property developers were also cited as major contributors.
To illustrate the scale of the problem, Mr. George cited several recent incidents: a 17-hour outage along the Winneba-Mankessim road, a 19-hour blackout across the Ho-Ziope corridor, and a nine-hour service interruption between Hwediem and Goaso, all caused by fibre cables severed during excavation works.
Compounding the situation, Mr. George pointed to persistent instability in the national power grid. He referenced the recent Akosombo fire incident, which knocked out nearly 60 percent of the grid’s capacity, as well as flooding in parts of Greater Accra that forced authorities to deliberately shut down power to prevent electrocution.
In several areas, backup generators at cell sites were submerged and rendered inoperable.
The Minister said the NCA will soon finalise guidelines to coordinate road excavation work and introduce penalties aimed at recovering the cost of damage to telecom infrastructure.
The Authority also plans to update its quality-of-service regulations to clearly distinguish between outages caused by network operators and those resulting from third-party damage, ensuring operators are not unfairly penalised for external disruptions.
Additionally, a joint memorandum with the Ministry of Roads and Highways on a “Dig Once” policy has cleared the Cabinet Committee and is expected to be presented to Cabinet Plenary this week.
Under the proposed policy, road contractors will be required to install fibre chambers alongside all newly constructed roads.
Looking ahead, Mr. George indicated that the NCA intends to complete the assignment of 5G spectrum and launch its online licensing and payment portal before the end of the year.
However, the Minister did not provide specific details on how compensation amounts would be calculated, which categories of subscribers would qualify, or an exact date for when the scheme would take effect.
