Rural Access:

Options and Challenges for

Connectivity and Energy in Ghana
Jonnie Akakpo
October 2008
Rural Access:
Options and Challenges for
Connectivity and Energy in Ghana
A study carried out for the International Institute for Communication and
Development (IICD) and the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing
(GINKS) by Jonnie Akakpo, Consolidated Solutions Limited (CSL)

Jointly published by GINKS and IICD

October 2008

GINKS
DTD 173
Cantonments
Accra
Ghana
Email: info@ginks.org
Tel: +233 21 785654
Fax: +233 21 786554
Colophon
Author: Jonnie Akakpo, CSL
Coordinator: Martine Koopman, IICD
Editor: Theresa Stanton, IICD
Publisher: GINKS/IICD
Contents

List of Abbreviations and Acronyms………………………………………………………………………………..5

Purpose of this Report .......................................................................................8
Executive Summary ..........................................................................................9
A Historical Perspective on Connectivity ............................................................. 10
Rural Connectivity: The Challenges ................................................................... 12
Applications and Uses of Connectivity ................................................................ 15
Main Types of Connectivity Available ................................................................. 16
Technical Considerations on Connectivity ........................................................... 19
Geographic Coverage ...................................................................................... 22
Rural Energy.................................................................................................. 23
Conclusions and Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………27
Annex 1: Useful Addresses .............................................................................. 29
Annex 2: Profiles ............................................................................................ 40
List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
DSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
AOL Africa Online
AOL America Online
ARO After Receipt of Order
B2G Business to Government
BoG Bank of Ghana
BRI Basic Rate Interface
BUC Block Up Converter
Busy BusyInternet
CAN Customer Access Network
CBLit Community Based Libraries and Information Technology
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CEPS Customs Excise and Preventive Service
CIC Community Information Centre
Cisco Networking Academy
CSSSPS Computerised Senior Secondary School Placement Service
DSL Digital Subscriber Line
FTP File Transfer Protocol
GCMS Ghana Customs Management System
GCNET Ghana Community Network
GHC Ghana Cedi
GHP Ghana Pesewa
GINKS Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing
GISPA Ghana Internet Service Providers Association
GIX Ghana Internet Exchange
GPRS General Packet Radio Service
GT Ghana Telecommunication Company
GWh Gigawatt Hours
HDSL High-speed Digital Subscriber Line
HIPC Highly Indebted Poor Country
IDN Intercom Data Network
IDU Indoor Unit
IP Internet Protocol
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network
ISP Internet Service Provider
IXP Internet Exchange Point
JHS Junior High School
JSS Junior Secondary School
Kbps Kilobits per second
KNUST Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
LAN Local Area Network
MoF Ministry of Finance
MOTI Ministry of Trade and Industry
MTN Mobile Telephone Network
MRTG Multi Router Traffic Grapher
NCA National Communication Authority
NCS Network Computer Systems
NHIL National Health Insurance Levy
ODU Outdoor Unit
POP Point of Presence
POS Point of Sale
QoS Quality of Service
SAT3 South Africa Telecom 3

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 6
SAT3/WASC
/SAFE South Africa Telecom 3/Western Africa Submarine Cable/South Africa Far East
SHS Senior High School
SLA Service Level Agreement
SMS Short Message Service
SOHO Small Office or Home Office
SSS Senior Secondary School
TAPCO Takoradi Power Company
TICO Takoradi International Company
TL 9000 A quality management system designed specifically for the Telecommunication
Industry
UPS Uninterruptible Power Source
USD United States Dollar
VAT Value Added Tax
VCI Virtual Identifiers
VPI Virtual Path Identifiers
VRA Volta River Authority
WAEC West African Examinations Council
WiFi Wireless Fidelity, a wireless technology brand intended to improve the
interoperability of wireless local area network products
WiMAX Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 7
Purpose of this report
This report was commissioned by the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD);
an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) that assists people in developing
countries to create practical and sustainable information and communication technology (ICT) solutions
that connect people and enable them to improve their livelihoods and quality of life.

It is part of a wider initiative by IICD to prepare a series of reports about connectivity and Internet
access in rural areas with its partners in Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ecuador,
Bolivia and Jamaica. The purpose of this report is to enable organisations engaged in rural development
to make informed decisions about rural connectivity and Internet access in Ghana.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 8
Executive Summary
This report is a study on Internet connectivity and energy situations in rural communities in Ghana.
Methods used include face-to-face interviews, telephone discussions, e-mail and a desk review.

Results of the data that was analysed revealed that the majority of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in
Ghana are located in the capital city, Accra. A few service providers have a presence in one or two
regional capitals and mining communities around the country. A few others provide Wide Area Network
connectivity via Virtual Private Networks to banks with branches dotted around the country.

The study identified that a rural community in Ghana is a deprived community which lacks telecom
infrastructure, electricity and sometimes appropriate buildings. It is also a community with less than
5,000 inhabitants whose preoccupation may be largely agricultural. It further revealed that the absence
of meaningful economic activity and skilled personnel make these locations unattractive for investors.

The study also revealed that Ghana has an electricity supply deficiency following long periods of erratic
rainfall which causes the hydro plant that generates the bulk of the country’s energy requirements to dry
up. Renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind and biomass are not well-known and have not
been exploited yet, but are considered potential sources to supplement hydro power generation and have
been discussed.

The report finds that the status of Internet connectivity and energy in rural Ghana is not very
encouraging. Recent developments within the sector, however, with funding support from the Chinese
Government and the World Bank to facilitate the extension of a fibre optic network throughout the entire
country, as well as addressing the energy shortfalls, hold high promise for the country and give reason
for excitement.

The next couple of years will witness developments in the ICT landscape and this guide is intended to
provide some insights into the critical issues of Internet Connectivity options, Internet applications that
can be deployed, chargeable rates, opportunities for strategic partnerships, and renewable energy
sources.

The report is an evolutionary document and future revised editions will continue to address many more
issues that will be of significant interest for the development and growth of the industry.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 9
A Historical Perspective on Connectivity
The first international computer network in Ghana was based on store and forward e-mail and bulletin
board systems in which computers were linked through short dial-up calls. A Fidonet connection was
established between Greennet in London and the Ghana National Scientific and Technological Information
Network (GHASTINET), the Association of African Universities (AAU), and the Technology Transfer Centre
(TTC) in 1989.

The project started out as a pilot of the Pan African Development Information System (PADIS) and was
funded by the Canada-based International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The National Science
and Technology Library and Information Centre (NASTLIC) of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR) assumed responsibility for operating GHASTINET. Later, the Balme library at the
University of Ghana became the central Fidonet hub for an extensive network that at its height supported
50,000 users.

A more robust store and forward e-mail system was built by the Association of African Universities (AAU)
using the Unix-to-Unix Copy Protocol (UUCP) a few years later and this was to provide e-mail
connectivity to twenty-three organisations, including the three main universities in Ghana: the University
of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Cape Coast.

The Association of African Universities’ e-mail system, AAUnet, allowed subscribers to route e-mail traffic
to the global Internet before Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connectivity was
first provided by a commercial system integrator, Network Computer Systems (NCS). Network Computer
Systems applied to the Ministry of Transport and Communications in 1992 for the right to offer value-
added services such as e-mail. Originally, NCS was a user and reseller of MCI Inc1 mail, but by 1994 NCS
had established a 9.6 kbps Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection over a dial-up link to Pipex, the
largest ISP in England. Network Computer Systems allowed its subscribers to dial-in to its computers,
establish a shell account and access the global Internet during the four to six hours a day when the
connection to Pipex was up. Dr Quaynor applied for, and in January 1995 received, permission from the
Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) to use and administer the Ghana Domain name “.gh”.

By August 1995, NCS had purchased a 14.4 Kbps leased line from Ghana Telecom so that it could
establish a dedicated TCP/IP connection with Pipex. It was then able to offer its clients World Wide Web
(WWW), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, and other Internet services on a 24/7 basis. By 1995, NCS
had opened Points of Presence (POPs) in Kumasi and Takoradi. As the number of clients grew, NCS
expanded its dedicated connection to Pipex to 64 Kbps.

In 1995, NCS also applied to the Frequency Board for permission to operate its own international
gateway based on satellite technology. It received permission to operate a satellite connection and, in
1996, implemented a 3.8 meter class C satellite connection over which it was able to connect to the
Internet backbone in the United States.

By June 1996, a second ISP, Internet Ghana, was up-and-running. It was established by Electromod, a
local computer company run by Leslie Tamakloe. For international connectivity, Internet Ghana
connected to the MCI Internet backbone in the United States via a 64Kbps dedicated connection leased
from Ghana Telecom, running over Ghana Telecom’s Nkuntunse 40 meter international earth station.
Internet Ghana focused on developing corporate customers and worked with Ghana Telecom to provide
access to customers via ISDN. Internet Ghana served approximately 20 corporate customers in 1996.

The number of corporate customers grew to about 40 in 1998, 60 in 2000, and 84 in 2003. The company
focuses primarily on corporate clients, but does provide connectivity to CSIR and the Ministry of Health.
Internet Ghana pioneered the use of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) in Ghana and by 2003 was
supporting approximately 150 subscribers on DSL over existing phone lines. These customers use a
splitter to allow them to access both voice and DSL over the same line.

As the number of subscribers grew, Internet Ghana upgraded its connection to the Internet backbone to
256Kbps. By 2000, Internet Ghana was operating its own 2 Mbps satellite connection to the global
backbone. In 2002, Internet Ghana purchased an additional 2 Mbps of connectivity through the SAT-3
submarine cable that runs from Portugal around South Africa to the Middle East.

1
An American telecommunications company that was headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 10
Ghana’s third ISP, Africa Online, was founded by three Kenyans who had studied at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in the United States and returned to Kenya to found
an Internet service for all of Africa. The company received significant funding from Prodigy. In November
1996, Africa Online, led by Ghanaian MIT alumnus Mawuli Tse, opened up service in Ghana using a
64Kbps Ghana Telecom leased line to its hub in Boston. After several months, this leased line was
replaced with an earth station that provided 512 Kbps of international backbone connectivity. Africa
Online also used VSAT to build a Ghana backbone of 2 Mbps that connected many of the regional capitals
including Tamale. The dot com crash and the drying up of funds from Prodigy forced Africa Online to cut
back many of its forays into the value added market. The company decided to focus on providing a high
quality service sold at a premium.

Between 1999 and 2007, Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) registered over 52 ISPs, of
which 16 started operation (Table 2). The NCA gave many of the new ISPs licenses to operate their own
international satellite gateways.

(Source: Global Diffusion of the Internet: The Internet in Ghana by Forster, Goodman, Osiakwan and
Bernstein.)

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 11
Rural Connectivity: The Challenges
The challenges
There are many challenges that exist with rural connectivity in Ghana. Below are only a few of the
challenges that are being faced by people who are trying to have connectivity in the rural areas. Ghana
Telecom is the main infrastructure provider in Ghana and only covers the major cities. You will hardly
find any telecommunications facility in the rural areas. The only way to reach the rural areas is perhaps
to connect using a Wireless infrastructure and/or a VSAT. Rural areas with coverage are areas that have
mobile coverage and Ghana Telecom’s Fixed Cellular Terminal (FCT). The FCT acts as a fixed line facility
but picks up GSM signals of the incumbent’s Onetouch GSM service.

Last Mile Infrastructure

Last mile access is distributed between dial-up access (often limited to 24Kbps), leased line connectivity
(primarily 64Kbps), and wireless access. Internet Ghana successfully used DSL to connect companies and
is currently being used by many companies. Although the pervasiveness of wireless and DSL access
potentially should improve connectivity, these are underutilised because of the limited, low quality
infrastructure. Access methods are less prevalent in the rural areas. Wireless networks are the most
common and popular ways to connect in the rural areas but these are still private initiatives.

Cost of Service
The cost of buying bandwidth in Ghana is high and the cost of buying satellite bandwidth is even higher.
This makes it an expensive venture to try to send Internet to rural areas since there is lack of last mile
infrastructure and other facilities. The cost of Internet and International services in Ghana is better
compared to other countries in the African context. The SAT3 fibre which runs along the West coast of
Africa costs a GISPA-registered Internet Service Provider $4,050 per a Mbit. Its satellite equivalent costs
$5,500. Today, the average cost of 20 hours of Internet use is $20, compared to $60 which used to be
the case some six years back. Dial-up and broadband are three times cheaper than they were in 2001
and the cost of International Services has also been lowered. The following table summarises the cost
figures of the Internet and International Services in Ghana.

Table 1: Affordability of Telecommunication in Ghana2

2001 2008
I Local Call cost $0.21 $0.054
II Call to US cost $1.5 $0.5
III Internet Access Cost Dial-up $25-$35 per month/ $100-
$120 per year
X3 Broadband: Average Installation fee:
$120 plus
Subscription fee of $65 per month
IV Average Cost of 20 hours of $60 $20
Internet Use (cyber café)
V Price of full circuit (to US/UK) Non-GISPA - $8,000
SAT3 $12 000 Non-ISP -$12,000
GISPA members - $4,050
VI Average Satellite Price (1 Mbit) – $15 000 $5,500
duplex

Availability of Electricity
The lack of a steady, reliable power supply from the Electric Company of Ghana is one of the main
challenges affecting rural connectivity. In some cases, there is lack of electricity generation. In other
words, to send connectivity to such areas it is imperative to buy a generator at an extra cost.

Lack of Capital
The lack of capital to secure cost-valued consumer and professional electronic equipment into the
infrastructure of networks, thus making them reliable resources to the community, is also a challenge.

2
Source: Ministry of Communications

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 12
Plans to improve access in the rural areas
There are various plans to improve access in the rural areas of Ghana. Government, in partnership with
the operators, is spreading the Internet to all ten regions and has further plans for rural connectivity.
Other private initiatives are in place to augment the efforts made by government.

The Community Information Centre Initiative

The Community Information Centre (CIC) Initiative of the government aims to send Internet facilities to
the 230 constituencies of Ghana. The Community Information Centre initiative will create rural access
centres and use the medium of ICT to promote community-based ICT applications that will promote
operational efficiency delivered through the effective and timely availability of information.

The government’s goals of ‘universal service and access’ as set out in the National Telecom Policy are
being pursued. In 2005, the government began a number of initiatives in this direction. The construction
of Community Information Centres was part of the government’s commitment to promote an all-inclusive
information and knowledge society to benefit deprived areas. As of June 2008, around 100 CICs had
been established in selected communities. The communities were selected subject to them already
having access to certain facilities such as electricity and telephones. The CICs are at various stages of
development. According to a survey and evaluation mission conducted by the UNDP office in Accra in
June, 2008, the CICs are at various operational and functional levels.

The Community Information Centre with full operational capacity is a centre that is fully equipped, not
just with computers but with staff members who have the requisite ICT skills and managerial know-how
to be able to handle the equipment and to manage the Centre with all the competence it deserves. A fully
operational and functional level CIC must therefore have the following: the physical building itself with
electricity and telephone facilities; a Local Area Network (LAN) with at least five (5) workstations or
computers; one server; one switch; one printer; one scanner and five (5) UPSs (Uninterruptible Power
Source).

These CICs will provide a wide range of services to the communities they serve, which will further lead us
to probe who the targeted beneficiaries of CICs are in a typical deprived community. A CIC’s basic
responsibility is not just to provide Internet cyber café services to the community, which is so far the
focus of most CICs that were visited in April 2008. Rather, the CICs have been mandated to provide ICT
training opportunities in the area of basic computer literacy to people living in these communities.
Furthermore, the CICs are to support business activities in rural communities by providing marketing
information on improved agricultural production and extension services. More importantly, the CICs are
strategically positioned to disseminate and educate rural folks on government policies, programmes and
projects, especially in the areas of health, education, agriculture, environment, local government by-
laws, tourism potentials and investment opportunities in their own localities and how they can tap those
using ICT tools.

The main beneficiaries of CICs, among many others, are members of the community at large,
schoolchildren, school-leavers, women and women’s groups, private business entities, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), local government authorities and, of course, our most traditional authorities.

Wiring Ghana Initiative

The government of Ghana has initiated the construction of a new underground fibre-optic backbone,
under the project name “Wiring Ghana”, which Huawei, the Chinese IT giant, will undertake. This
network will be 4,000 km long and will ride along the electrical transmission system. The Southern half
has been completed with a $30 million loan facility by the government of China. Another $70 million will
be made available to complete the Northern sector of this project. It is expected to be completed by the
end of 2009.

GT Broadband4u
Ghana Telecom has broadband facilities (Broadband4u) in all ten regions of Ghana and recently launched
an initiative to send it to most of the cities and towns in each region. This is expected to help connectivity
in the rural areas.

Pay-As-You-Go
Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) is a solution developed by HookMeUp (HMU) Technologies that uses VSAT or
other forms of telecommunications transport media to deliver high-speed Internet to the last-mile (home,
office, estate, etc). This is a private initiative. Pay-As-You-Go resolves the problems associated with cost
of access, because it is retailed in low denominations with the lowest set to 30 minutes access time
(about 30 peswas). Because it is Pay-As-You-Go, a monthly subscription fee does not apply; a user or a

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 13
location will only buy access when they have exhausted the pins from their last purchase. Each user has
equal and dedicated access to the bandwidth available for the duration of their session, which is valid for
a set duration, and a data limit applies within the validity period.

With Pay-As-You-Go, you can buy a batch of vouchers, which may last you for the entire year or can be
retailed to other users of the Internet in your community. The set-up cost ranges from $50 USD to
$2,500 USD, depending on user location and distance from a Pay-As-You-Go hotspot.

Services have been deployed in Accra, Tamale, Bimbilla, Yendi and partnered with IICD to implement this
solution at the SALAGA Community Information Centre (CIC). This CIC has a hotspot which provides the
community with access to Wi-Fi.

The challenge with this solution, however, is the problem of remembering the user ID and passwords, but
HMU Technologies say they will solve this problem by the end of the first quarter of 2009.

GIFTEL
GIFTEL (Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications) has other initiatives to send connectivity to
rural areas. From the 1 percent contribution from the telecommunications operators, telecom
infrastructure is built in many rural areas and is shared by these operators for connectivity in these
areas.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 14
Applications and Uses of Connectivity
There are so many uses of connectivity in Ghana. One of the most common and critical uses of
connectivity, which everyone is aware of, is sending emails. But this is not the only use of connectivity in
Ghana. Some of the many other uses are listed below.

Options
Surfing the World Wide Web
This is the most conventional type of access. In Ghana most people who surf the Internet use it to search
for information and news, both local and international. Most people use Google for their research and surf
local news sites such as www.myjoyonline.com and www.ghanaweb.com and international ones such as
www.bbc.co.uk and www.cnn.com.

Video-conferencing and Chat

In recent times, video conferencing has started to become popular in Ghana. Most businesses are using it
to contact their business partners elsewhere for effective communication. Because of bandwidth
constraints, it is not moving as fast as it could. Internet chatting is also very popular in Ghana with
Skype and yahoo messenger. These days, people even call themselves on these two services.

Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Ghana Telecom and Westel have licenses to operate Voice over IP. Under the laws governing the
operation of voice service in Ghana, the two fixed telephony operators, Ghana Telecom and Westel, had
exclusivity over the country's international voice communication gateway. This means that all incoming
and outgoing international calls must be routed through their networks.

The exclusivity enjoyed by the two fixed operators ended in 2002. Despite mounting pressure from data
communication operators, it remains to be seen when this law will be reviewed. However, the Minister of
Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, assured operators in the 2007 Budget that the
Ministry of Communications in consultation with the NCA would ensure clarity/regulations on the rules of
engagement for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). The NCA has only verbally said that VoIP is legal as
a technology, however, the regulation to lay out the framework is yet to be promulgated.

E-Mail Communication
This remains the oldest and most critical use of connectivity. If a link is needed for e-mail only, the cost
of service can also be drastically lower than a full-service link.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 15
Main Types of Connectivity Available
Overview
In total, there are 114 licensed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Ghana, twenty-seven of which are
actually operational. Internet access in Ghana is mainly achieved through the usage of Internet Cafés.
These are estimated to number more than 2,000, with 90% of them concentrated in the urban centres,
mainly Accra and Kumasi. This is still a very fragmented market which is primarily made up of small
cafés with the capacity to seat 5 to 15 individuals, with the exception of larger cafés such as
BusyInternet, which boasts over 100 stations and a 24/7 operational capability, and serves over 1,500
visitors daily. The majority of the other Internet Cafés have, on average, 10-15 seats. The average
national charge is about US$0.08/minute.

Companies provide ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), HDSL (High-speed Digital
Subscriber Line) or ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) to their corporate customers, but for
most private end-users dial-up services have been available and, recently, broadband services.
InternetGhana was the first company to introduce ADSL. Presently, companies such as Africa Online
Ghana Limited, Engineering Systems and Services, Zipnet, BusyInternet and Ghana Telecom (GT),
among others, are providing the same services. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is the main
broadband technology (apart from wireless) with Ghana Telecom (GT) as the leading provider. Ghana
Telecom’s broadband service, Broadband4U, was launched in 2004 and was limited to 10 telephone
exchanges in Accra. By early 2007, it had coverage in almost all the regional capitals. The use of wireless
(WiMax) is also gaining credence, again with InternetGhana as a pioneer. Companies such as KNET, IDN,
NCS, Ecoband, Africanus, iBurstGhana, AccelonGhana, etc. are also providing wireless broadband
services in the country. There were about 14,000 broadband subscribers in Ghana as of December 2007.

Types of Connectivity or Technologies in Ghana

Wired
Copper
Copper is not a competitive means of carrying data/voice in Ghana, given the more competitive
technologies available. To date, Ghana suffers from a very poor copper network with chronic theft issues
which make it all the more difficult to maintain and repair. It is estimated that up to half of the ADLS
circuits are not functioning on any given day. The outlook for copper, given the commodity’s current high
prices, theft of wires and high associated expense for deploying it, as well as its limited usage makes the
outlook for its expansion seem rather bleak. There are no known efforts for new investments in copper-
based networks. Current Base: 0.35MM. There is no growth forecasted in copper per se, as it is expected
to be overtaken by WiMax and Wireless Local Loop lines.

Mobile technologies
CDMA derived: CDMA 450 WLL, CDMA 2000 1xRTT, CDMA 1xEVDO
The following companies use CDMA-based technologies: Kasapa provides mobile phone services through
ZTE deployment of CDMA2000 technology. Netafrique and TeleData ICT have both signed agreements
with Kasapa to use this technology for the deployment of mobile wireless solution in areas where there is
Kasapa coverage. This technology has limited adoption, mainly because it is not well suited toward large-
scale IP-based traffic. Actual Subscribers: 0.2MM. Projected Growth 2012: 0.4MM.

GSM derived: Edge W-CDMA or UMTS, GPRS, HSDPA

MTN (formerly Areeba)/ GT’s OneTouch/ Tigo (formerly Millicom) use these GSM derivatives. They can be
used for services such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) access, Short Messaging Service (SMS),
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), and for Internet communication services such as email and World
Wide Web access. GPRS data transfer, for example is typically charged per megabyte of traffic
transferred, while data communication via traditional circuit switching is billed per minute of connection
time, independent of whether the user actually is using the capacity or is in an idle state. There is a very
strong outlook for these technologies, especially in the areas of HSDPA. Actual Subscribers: 5 MM.
Projected growth 2012: 12MM.

Mobile Internet Modems

MTN, Tigo and Onetouch have GPRS modems which allow you to browse and use the Internet on your
laptop or PC using GPRS modems and special Data SIM cards. Kasapa also sells CDMA modems through

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 16
NetAfrique and Teledata ICT. What this means is that wherever there is coverage of these networks, it is
possible to browse the Internet. These GPRS and CDMA modems cost about $250, and about $2 and $2.2
per hour then has to be paid to access the Internet.

Wireless
Wimax
Deployed mainly by the leading ISPs, (Internet Ghana) and Ghana Telecom as well. Many have high
hopes that it will provide a solution for the areas where fixed-lines have failed, due to its maturing
technology and ease of deployment. NCS was first ISP to deploy it during the last quarter of 2006. Mainly
in Accra, Tema and Kumasi regions with plans to expand into more rural areas. If this technology is
applied towards the Wireless Local Loop principle, we could see a growth of between 1.5MM to 3MM in
2012.

WiFi
WiFi is mainly deployed in the rural parts of Ghana where there are no copper lines. It is mainly deployed
by private service providers and organisations interested in rural connectivity. Wireless Ghana and Arrow
Networks are two of the few organisations that deploy WiFi in Ghana and could see strong growth in this
technology. The 802.11 standard is an unlicensed frequency band and can be used by individuals and
organisations. All organisations that seek to commercialise WiFi in Ghana are licensed by the NCA to
provide these services.

The following table lists the current mobile technologies and their operators.

Technology Operators
GPRS and EDGE • Areeba
• Tigo
• Onetouch
CDMA2000 1x • Kasapa
iBurst • Infinite Stream
• BusyInternet
• Africa Online
WiMAX • InternetGhana

iBurst
SA’s iBurst operates in conjunction with BusyInternet. To date, there has been very limited adoption due
to massive management challenges as well as what is perceived to be a flawed pricing model by the
market (bandwidth-based rather than time-based). Although the technology makes sense, it is still a
costly alternative, and its marketing to date has won very few converts. The outlook is currently bleak for
this technology. It has had an insignificant impact on the industry since its inception.

Satelites (VSAT)
VSAT will continue to have its place, particularly in underserved places, and where uptime links is critical
(International Corporations such as mining conglomerates, and agribusiness companies, use them).
There are currently 57 licensed companies employing VSATs and they provide both C-band and Ku-band.
It is also being used as a back-up to connectivity through SAT3. Major players are Ecoband and GS
Telecom.

With VSATs, two main frequency types exist, the Ku and the C band. Satellite systems that use C-band
employ large antennae which give a very high quality signal. They are mostly used by large corporations
such as oil and mining companies and are also used in telemedicine. The Ku-band has shorter
wavelengths and so smaller antennae are used to receive signals. The Ku-band has come into widespread
use more recently. The quality of signal is lower, but this is acceptable for most domestic and small
business uses. Most broadcasting stations use Ku-band, as do Internet connections from servers to users
with terrestrial return links. Cost wise, C-band VSATs are more expensive than Ku-bands.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 17
Fibre optic
SAT3, an undersea fibre optic cable, is underused and mismanaged from a business development
standpoint. Although many in the sub-region will say that Ghana’s usage of SAT3 is exemplary, it has
been recently overtaken by Senegal’s Incumbent Telco. Indeed, the prices are still too high to justify
purchasing circuits. Also, the lack of any SLAs (Service Level Agreements) prevents the customers from
ensuring they are getting their money’s worth. Ghana Telecom (GT) has just been privatised and still
enjoys what seems to be a monopoly situation with respect to the SAT3. There were talks of spinning off
the SAT3 landing and management into a separate entity, but that did not happen.

GISPA, Ghana’s ISP association, has been very successful at lobbying GT to lower its prices. SAT3
remains a very under-utilised resource which is not benefiting the people of Ghana, which it was initially
designed for.

The national backbone is currently an area of much activity. There is an existing backbone, which rests
above ground, riding the electrical network of the Volta River Authority. Currently, the network has three
users: Ghana Telecom, Volta River and TV3. Guiness Ltd. also uses it to connect its Kumasi office to its
Accra office. Indeed, there is a fibre-optic cable located atop each electrical pylon of Voltacom which
covers the nation. This network is 800 km long.

There is recognition at the government level for a much-needed, better under-ground fibre optic
backbone to allow economic growth. Hence, there is a new government-owned initiative to build a new
underground fibre-optic background, called “Wiring Ghana”, which Huawei, the Chinese IT giant, was
undertaking but stopped due to lack of funds. The first phase has been completed and included in the
sale of Ghana Telecom to Vodafone. This network will be 4,000 km long and will ride along the electrical
transmission system. There are also some private efforts that are working on laying down their own
fibre-optic backbones over the next couple of years.

Difficulties associated with connectivity in Ghana

The wide use of the copper lines belonging to Ghana Telecom (GT) presents a lot of difficulties associated
with connectivity in Ghana. Ghana suffers from a very poor copper network with chronic theft issues
which make it all the more difficult to maintain/ repair. It is estimated that up to half of the ADLS circuits
are not functioning on any given day. This affects mainly customers of the GT Broadband4U services.
This service lacks appropriate technical expertise to make it run efficiently. An interview with one
customer of Broadband4U shows an estimated downtime of about 30 minutes a day. Sometimes,
customers experience a whole day of downtime, due mainly to a lack of technical expertise.

Satellite and wireless connectivity in Ghana are fairly reliable and present good ways to connect to the
Internet. Dial-up Internet also presents the same challenges presented by Broadband4U services, mainly
due to the fact that they also use these same copper lines.

Narrowband is widely used in Ghana and, although it has advantages in respect of speed of deployment,
its disadvantage is that the connection speed will not exceed 64kbps for each site. This is due to the high
cost of deploying these networks. This means that communication within networks works well, but the
Internet access speed is limited and there is very little bandwidth left for a voice network, while video is
completely left out.

Streaming is entirely disabled on certain networks, but where it is present it tends to strain the network.
Most organisations try to limit access to streaming by staff as a result of the strain on the network and,
because true broadband in Ghana is relatively expensive, it makes sense for these organisations to limit
streaming. Those organisations that can afford broadband, however, do enjoy these services.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 18
Technical Considerations on Connectivity
Bandwidth Allocation – shared vs. dedicated
When an Internet Service Provider (ISP) sells a service based on bandwidth, it usually gives two options.
The first is shared. This implies that, as a customer, you are ‘sharing’ that bandwidth with other users.
So, a 128kbps shared link theoretically means that there are several users sharing the same 128kbps
link. Some customers then demand to know the ratio according to which this bandwidth is shared and an
Internet Service Provider can rarely give a definitive answer to this question, although they may offer a
range of different answers. The reason is that, in practical terms, it is not feasible to break down a larger
pool of bandwidth into little segments that can be shared. For example, if an ISP has 10 customers who
are buying 128kbps shared, but their ‘over-sell’ ration is 5:1, then it is not practical for the ISP to have a
512kbps pool broken down to 2,128kbps pools and put 5 customers in each pool.

Instead, they put all 10 customers in a pool of 512kbps. They then limit the maximum bandwidth per
customer to 128kbps. Therefore, in the best case scenario you will get 128kbps if there are only two
active users and only 51.2kbps if all ten customers were pulling as much bandwidth as possible; a
situation that is quite rare. To add to the above intricacies of Bandwidth Sharing, an ISP may have a
general over-sell ration but very few have dynamic bandwidth control mechanisms that auto-regulate the
size of the overall pool. Most ISPs, if they do any form of bandwidth control at all, do it manually through
rules and policies.

Dedicated Bandwidth on the other hand is as simple as it sounds. A customer is sold a segment that is
fixed and will not be used by anyone else, even if is not used by the customer. Bandwidth is expensive,
so this option has a substantially higher cost for the end-user.

Service Monitoring Tools

Users usually get embroiled in arguments and disagreements with the ISP when they are not receiving
good service. There are usually two main reasons for this: either the customer is genuinely getting a bad
service but cannot prove it, or the ISP is actually delivering the right service but the customer is using it
inefficiently or it is being wasted without the customer knowing how. In such circumstances it is useful to
ask the ISP for access to the user’s interactive Multi Router Traffic Grapher (MRTG) graph. This is a very
common tool that monitors and graphs the customer’s bandwidth usage and this will provide a qualitative
measurement that could help in the discussions and resolve any problems. Alternatively, there are many
tools available to monitor the total bandwidth, transfer rate, and even determine the type of use of the
service that the customer is receiving. This helps to determine the Quality of Service delivered, the up-
time calculation, and helps the customer detect any leakage or abuse of bandwidth such as viruses and
worms on the network, or excessive downloads like movies and songs during office hours and so forth.
Likewise, there are simple devices that can help an organisation or company to monitor and actually
control the type of uses on the network. For example, a simple bandwidth control hardware (or software)
can easily allow certain users to access e-mail only and others to access the web, while blocking other
services like P2P (often used to download songs and movies) or chatting. It can even regulate these
policies according to the time of day – such as chatting allowed only after 5:30 pm. These types of
control mechanisms are highly advisable for users as they will ensure that this expensive resource is
used and maintained as efficiently as possible.

Some Useful Sites and Tools for Better Network Management

In general, network monitoring is a specialised task. It is usually recommended to hire a professional to
adequately monitor your traffic and send you an analysis. Although this is an additional cost, you may
find that ensuring that your bandwidth is monitored and controlled well in this way could save you more
money than it actually costs to hire such a professional vendor.

However, there are many simple sites and tools available that you could use even if you are not very
technically savvy. A simple search on Google will reveal hundreds, but here are a few that could be very
useful:

To test your download speed

You can use this free tool to test your maximum bandwidth speed at the time of doing the test. If you are
on a network, it is useful to do this test with only one virus-free PC connected. This way, you can find out
what speed limits your ISP has in place. Go to:
http://www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 19
Download Utility
This utility helps you download files even if your connection is slow or intermittent. If, during a download,
the connection is lost, the download will pause and resume automatically when connection is restored.
There are many such utilities, and this is one of them:
http://www.tensons.com/products/downloadacceleratormanager/freeedition

To monitor your ‘up-time’

You can use a ‘ping’ program that simply records when a certain site is accessible. You can use this to
test certain equipment in your network (such as your network printer), and equipment at your ISP (such
as your gateway) as well as to monitor an international site to determine if you have connectivity.
Therefore, if you cannot get onto the Internet, you may find that the link to the ISP is fine, but that the
problem lies in the onward route.

Up-time monitoring tools

1. IPCheck Server Monitor by PAESSLER. A free version allows you to monitor up to five IP addresses at
intervals of 15 minutes. The commercial version allows you to monitor more IP addresses at more
frequent intervals. See: http://www.paessler.com/ipcheck

2. FREEping by tools4ever. Similar to the above. See

http://www.tools4ever.com/products/free/freeping/

3. Graph-a-ping by Mata Luis. Similar to above with a nice graph. See:

http://www.mataluis.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=36

4. Visual Ping by IT Lights Software. Similar to above. See:

http://www.mataluis.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=36

Monitor your bandwidth use

This becomes a little tricky because the PC you use to load the monitoring software should either be:
1. in-between the external network and the internal network – this means that the PC used to monitor
should be the ‘gateway’ or ‘firewall’ of your network. All traffic between your ISP and your internal
network must pass through this PC; or
2. be able to monitor a network interface that is SNMP-enabled. This means that the port that is being
monitored should be able to relay needed data to your application. This is usually possible in mid-
range and higher range routers and firewalls such as Cisco, Multi-Tech and so forth.

Useful Software
1. PRTG Traffic Grapher by PAESSLER. This is similar to MRTG but can run on a Windows PC and is a
little easier to set up for people with little technical experience. There is a free version that is limited
but helpful and a more commercial version. See: http://www.paessler.com/prtg

2. BMExtreme by LP23.com. This is simple and cheap software ($25 for home use and $50 for
professional use) that can monitor bandwidth. See: http://www.lp23.com/bmextreme/

3. MING Bandwidth Monitor by MING Software. This is an affordable ($15 with a 14-day free trial)
software that allows you to monitor overall traffic as well as traffic from each connected PC. In this
way, it is also useful for finding the PCs with unusually high traffic, such as those misusing the
service or those that may be infected with a virus. See http://bandwidth.mingsoft.com/

4. Bandwidth Meter Pro. This is $20 software that shows you impressive graphs of bandwidth usage.
See: http://www.bandwidth-meter.net/index.htm

Tools to control bandwidth use in your network

Apart from the above tools that merely ‘monitor’ bandwidth usage, there are others that allow you to
control bandwidth usage within your network. With these tools you should be able to allocate bandwidth
to each user as per their requirement, allocate certain priority allocations for ‘mission-critical’ applications
such as video-conferencing, as well as limit or regulate types of usage, such as music downloading,
chatting and so forth. All of these tools will only work if installed on the gateway computer. Here are a
few:

1) Routix NetCom. This is a free software. See: http://www.routix.net/netcom/

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 20
2) SoftPerfect Bandwidth Manager. This is a user-friendly utility. It costs $35 or $100 depending on
enabled features. See: http://www.softperfect.com/products/bandwidth/

3) JDSoft Bandwidth Manager. This software costs about $60 for a home edition version and $230 for
enterprise edition, although the home edition should suffice for most small networks. See:
http://www.easyfp.com/bandwidth-manager/index.html

4) Traffic Shaper XP is a free utility for Windows OS. See:

http://bandwidthcontroller.com/trafficShaperXp.html

SLA (Service Level Agreement)

This is an agreement that outlines issues relating to the quality of service that will be delivered by the
ISP, as well as its reliability and other factors. It may also contain a clause about a refund formula in the
event of the ISP failing to meet the minimum acceptable terms of the SLA. This SLA is also highly
advisable for customers. However, many ISPs only offer this option to customers who pay for higher
levels of service as this is a liability for the ISP. If you are able to get an SLA, there are a few
fundamental issues that are particularly important, such as:

Up-time guarantee
This is a percentage of the time they guarantee the service provided. For example, an ISP could
guarantee an uptime of 99.5%. This means that in a month of 30 days they guarantee that down-time, if
any, would not exceed 3 hours and 36 minutes. Be careful to notice the definition of ‘up-time’. In other
words, up-time to where? Up-time to ISP? Or up-time to the global Internet?

Compensation for down-time

This is a formula with which the ISP will be penalised for not meeting the minimum up-time guarantee.
This is the penalty for the amount of down-time beyond the stated minimum. For example, if the up-time
is guaranteed at 99.5% or 3 hours and 36 minutes, then anything above that must be compensated for.

Latency
This is the time it takes for a small amount of data (usually 32bits) to travel a complete round trip. This
has been discussed previously, but a normal satellite connection would give about 600 milli-seconds
latency at best. This is very easily tested by running a ‘ping test’. A ping test is a utility that is available
on all computers and it tests the amount of time (in milli-seconds) that it would take for a ‘packet’ of
data to be sent and a response to be received. Be careful that the SLA does not have a hidden clause of
offering a one-way reading. It must include the complete reading of both send and receive time.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 21
Geographic coverage
Ghana Telecom’s infrastructure does not cover most parts of Ghana – especially most peri-urban and
rural areas. The company has therefore introduced a new product called the Fixed Cellular Terminal
(FCT). This FCT emulates the services provided by fixed line telephones using GSM networks. It is a
solution for providing access to fixed services where there are no traditional fixed network infrastructures
or additional fixed phone lines are needed. FCTs are installed in areas, communities, and towns where
Ghana Telecom has its GSM coverage and operate on the GSM triple band (GSM900 MHz/GSM1800
MHz/GSM1900 MHz). FCTs have all the features that the Onetouch GSM network has, including Internet
access via the GPRS technology that was launched on the Onetouch network in November 2006.

Because Ghana Telecom is an infrastructure provider with a vast infrastructure in the regions, most ISPs
use its infrastructure for connectivity to other regions. Even so, Ghana Telecom’s infrastructural assets
are only limited to the regional capitals and some towns. For Ghana Telecom or the other ISPs to reach
the rural areas, the most feasible option they use is Wireless technology. The Wireless Ghana initiative at
Apirede in the Eastern region of Ghana is mainly involved in sending connectivity to the rural areas.
Arrows Networks is a private firm which is also involved in building wireless networks. It has extensive
network covering Accra, Winneba, Cape Coast, Takoradi and the surrounding areas. It also embarks on
some rural initiatives but is mainly involved in commercial ventures.

In order to increase connectivity in the rural areas, the government charges all operators one percent of
their revenues for a rural telecommunications fund called the Ghana Investment Fund for
Telecommunication (GIFTEL), which has been in operation since 2005.

Table 2: Regional distribution of Ghana Telecom (GT) subscribers (December 2002)

Source: Fostering and facilitating Access on SAT-3/WASC/SAFE by Spintract

From the table above, the Ashanti region accounted for about 19% of Ghana’s population but with only
about 10.3% of GT fixed line subscribers in 2002, and Accra accounted for about 67.7% of GT fixed line
subscribers.

The mobile networks have covered a wide range of Ghana’s geography. It is now possible for people
living in the villages to own mobile phones, the only challenge being electricity to charge the phones.
Mobiles are therefore key contributors to bridging the urban-rural digital divide in Ghana. Kasapa deploys
mobile services using the CDMA2000 1x technology. MTN, the main mobile operator in Ghana with about
half the mobile subscriber base, uses a combination of the GSM900, GPRS, and the EDGE technologies.
TiGO and GT Onetouch also deploy these same technologies; however, the MTN network has a much
wider geographic coverage.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 22
Rural energy
Options for rural energy in Ghana
One of the major challenges to rural connectivity in Ghana is the availability and access to reliable power
options in Ghana. Although 57% of households in Ghana have access to mains electricity, the generation
capacity is inadequate, resulting in scheduled load shedding (often for 12 hours at a time) and many
unplanned power cuts. The economy of Ghana is thriving, and the lack of electric power is a growing
concern. Electricity shortages are discussed daily in the newspapers. The problems have arisen largely
due to the lack of water in Lake Volta for the main hydroelectric power station, and the high price of oil
limiting thermal generation, coupled with increasing demand. The average annual electricity consumption
per capita is 285 kWh, compared to a global average of 2,490 kWh, and has fallen from 450kWh per
capita in 1980.

Of the 43% of the population without electricity, most live in the rural areas, several kilometres from the
capital, Accra. Here, the main source of income comes from seasonal agriculture, and many people are
cautious about connecting to the mains if the grid arrives, for fear that they will run up a bill that they
cannot afford to pay.

This section looks at various power sources in Ghana that are used for rural connectivity.

Power grid
The power grid comprises several power options which the Volta River Authority owns to generate
electricity for the country. It comprises mainly hydro power options and thermal power options. The total
installed generation capacity is 1,778 MW. This comprises:

• The Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Plant with an installed capacity of 1,038 MW. The Akosombo
plant has been retrofitted with the replacement of the old turbine runners with new ones as well
as electromechanical works aimed at restoring the plant to its original condition. The retrofit was
completed in March.
• 160-MW Kpong Hydroelectric Power Plant
• 550-MW installed thermal capacity at the Takoradi Thermal Power Station and;
• 30-MW Diesel Power Plant at Tema.

A 125-MW Power Barge “the Osagyefo Power Barge” is also available and is currently berthed at Effasu
Mangyea in the Western Region with arrangements ongoing to establish viable fuel sources for it. The
Osagyefo barge was developed by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation in order to utilise the
natural gas available in the Tano oil and gas fields for power generation. The barge has been completed
and is yet to go into commercial operation.

The table overleaf shows the available power options on Ghana’s power grid.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 23
Sources: Guide to Electric Power in Ghana, 1st Edition, University of Ghana, Legon, 2005. 2: VRA 2005.

Generator
Generators are widely used in Ghana, but mainly as a back-up system when the national power grid fails.
In 2007, when the country suffered from a power crisis, this was the main source of power for companies
and certain individuals who could afford it. The generator is a rather expensive source of power for rural
areas because fuel for these generators and their maintenance can be rather expensive.

Solar
Ghana is ideally placed to make use of solar PV, especially in the rural areas, but there is a need to
rapidly increase the number of people trained in installing and maintaining them, and to develop the
business opportunities that are currently present.

Photovoltaic (PV) modules generate electricity from sunlight. Used with re-chargeable batteries to store
electricity, they can provide an independent DC (Direct Current) electricity supply system that can be
used both day and night. A PV system incorporates a charge controller, which prevents the battery from
being over-charged or deep-discharged, and may also include an inverter to convert DC (Direct Current)
power to AC (Alternating Current), thus allowing the use of AC (Alternating Current) appliances.

Deng Ltd is a solar supplier that sells and installs several different types of PV system in rural
communities in Ghana. A main part of their PV business is the supply of standalone systems. The
smallest solar-home-system uses a 14 Wp module, a 40 Ah battery and 6 A charge controller, but larger
systems of up to 100 Wp and 100 Ah are also popular. Systems up to 500 Wp in size are used for clinics
and other community buildings. The systems sold by Deng use either amorphous or crystalline solar PV
modules. Modules and charge controllers are imported from Europe, while batteries, wiring and support
structures are all available locally. Customers can choose between deep-cycle solar batteries or car
batteries; because a charge controller is always used, the car batteries last for a reasonable time – about
two years. Some customers start with a car battery to minimise the initial system cost, and upgrade to a
more durable deep-cycle solar battery when the first car battery needs replacement.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 24
Amorphous silicon PV modules are used, because for small power demand they are cheaper than
crystalline modules. Amorphous silicon has a poor reputation in some parts of the world because, in the
past, modules degraded rapidly in use, usually because poor sealing of the edges led to water absorption
in the thin layer of silicon. The following figure shows how the solar system works;

Hydro power
Some rural communities have been connected to the national power grid which mainly runs on hydro
power.

Wind power
Wind power is when the movement of wind is converted into electricity using a ‘turbine’. Wind power is
less commonly used in Ghana than solar power. However, it is generally cheaper and preferable for areas
that have a steady and constant breeze.

Wind turbines usually have two to three blades which spin in the wind. The blades are connected to a
rotor which drives an electricity generator. It works on the same principle as a dynamo on a bicycle, but
on a slightly bigger scale. The blades and rotor are mounted on a movable axis which has a fin connected
to it as well. The purpose of this fin is to always direct the rotor and blades directly into the oncoming
wind.

Wind turbines come in a large variety of sizes ranging from very small units, usually used on yachts and
small ships, to massive ‘wind farms’ that produce enough power to supply a small city. The biggest
known wind turbine is the Enercon E112 which has a rotor diameter of 112 metres and an output
capacity of 6MW. (Source: Wikipedia)

A smaller wind power system has many of the same components as a solar system, except the wind
turbine replaces the solar panels. It generates and stores power in very much the same way,
compensating for periods during which there is little or no wind with periods of high wind. Wind systems
are generally cheaper than solar systems but this is only true on the international market. After
importation, they seem highly priced. This may be due to shipping costs, the lack of sufficient
competition in the market, or as a result of low demand for the product.

Although they are slightly cheaper then solar power (on the international market, that is), they need a
little more maintenance than a solar system. This is because the turbine is constantly turning and, every
once in a while, it is advisable to make sure that all the moving parts are well lubricated. This can be a
daunting task when the rotor is mounted 3040 metres off the ground! Installation is also slightly more
difficult because the rotor must be mounted on a mast or tower in order to stay clear of wind turbulence.
Wind turbulence occurs closer to the ground and forms uneven and bumpy wind patterns that are not
good for either the rotor or the turbine. They are like ‘pot-holes in the road’.

Energy use of equipment

This section is to help calculate energy consumption of the appliances used and the number of hours that
the appliances will be used per day. Each appliance should be rated either with Watts or with the
Maximum Current Load. You should also know the voltage; it is usually 220V. The watts are calculated as
the Amps X Voltage. Therefore, if you have a PC that is rated at 1.2 Amp Maximum Current operating
from normal supply power (220 V), then the Wattage is 220 V X 1.2 Amps = 264 Watts. However, it is
highly unlikely that it will operate in this ‘maximum current’ state all the time. Therefore, it may be
alright to assume 60%-70% of the maximum current as the regular operating current. This gives
approximately 160 watts of power per computer.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 25
An indication of the approximate energy needs of a few common appliances are as follows:

Source: Guide to Electric Power in Ghana. 1st Edition, University of Ghana, Legon, 2005. 2: VRA 2005.

Now determine how many computers will be connected and how many hours per day they will be used.
Let us assume there are 10 computers and the centre is open 8 hours a day. Based on experience, it is
possible to judge how many hours, on average, each computer will be used. For example, each computer
is used on average for 4 hours a day. This gives a load of 160 watts X 10 computers X 4 hours = 6,400
watt hours per day. Other appliances must be included in the calculation too. To simplify, you can use a
table like the one below:

Load Calculation Worksheet

Sources: Guide to Electric Power in Ghana. 1st Edition, University of Ghana, Legon, 2005.

Challenges with rural energy

The biggest challenge with rural energy is the cost of sending energy to rural communities throughout
the country. It is extremely expensive for the government to deploy energy through the national grid to
these parts of the country. Apart from the cost, the transportation to these areas is a major problem as
well. The roads connecting these areas are highly unmotorable. Moreover, the cost of power in general is
increasing and the rural folks would rather stay in the dark than pay huge electricity bills.

The cost of solar energy in general has gone down from where it was many years ago, and feels like it
has reached a point where it is comparatively affordable (or maybe the fuel prices have gone up). But
It is important to note that acquisition, maintenance, and installation of solar equipment in West Africa is

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 26
several times more expensive (on the order of 10x) than it would be in China or India, often due to the
cost of customs, transport, and shipping, but also due to the difference in the cost of labour, and the
availability of raw materials such as steel, as well as the unavailability of galvanised steel.

In Northern Ghana they have a Winter dust season, in which everything gets covered over with a layer of
dust all-the-time, which also interferes with the efficiency of solar power, and thus requires constant
maintenance (i.e. dusting and washing the panels). It is recommended that people work on wind power,
or a combination of solar and wind power, which seems like it might be more suitable for the
environment. Ghana also has a coastline and may, therefore, even be able to leverage coastal wind
generators for additional power.

Power back-up and protection

Protection from instant power failures is very important. This is usually solved by having an online UPS
(Uninterruptible Power Source). This device is fed from the main power source. It has an internal (or
external) battery that is charged continuously. When the power goes off or becomes unstable, the UPS
takes over and supplies power from the battery. The back-up time that a UPS provides depends on the
capacity of the UPS and the energy use of equipment that is connected. For example, a 1KVA UPS
supplying 2 PCs with flat screens may give 90 minutes of extra power but, if regular monitors are used, it
may only provide an extra 45 minutes of power.

The UPS also provides protection because it controls power fluctuations. It also prevents high voltage
‘spikes’ as it will usually burn out before the PC does. This is not the best way to protect your PC as each
time there is a big spike you blow up a costly UPS! It is therefore advisable to place a ‘surge arrestor’
which costs around $10 to $20 in between the UPS and the mains supply.

A short run power back-up system consists of small UPSs that can give up to 30 minutes of power:
enough time for you to save the work you were doing and safely shut down the computer.

An extended system is one that is designed to allow you to work for an extended period of time, usually
above 2 hours. An extended power back-up solution can give you anything between 2 hours and 24
hours (or more!) of extra power. These devices are more expensive and usually have external batteries.
They are good for ‘mission-critical’ servers and PCs that should work regardless of the power situation.
When you select such a system, be sure to get an ‘on-line’ UPS. The grid power comes in ‘alternating
current’ or AC. This means that the voltage alternates between the conductors 60 times per second.
Contrary to that, ‘direct current’ or DC, e.g. from a battery, is a constant flow at all times. So when a
UPS is charging a battery, it converts AC to DC current and, likewise, when a battery is powering your PC
it is again transforming DC to AC current. To do this efficiently it must ‘simulate’ AC current. The quality
of the UPS is determined by how well it can simulate this alternating current. A pure AC is graphically
represented by a pure sine wave. On a graph, this looks like a smooth and consistent wave. A simulated
AC is usually ‘stepped’ and on a graph looks like a jagged line, resembling stairs. If the ‘steps’ are
relatively small, they are not felt by the PC and it is therefore safe. If the steps are too large, the PC
detects it and may burn out as a result.

Inverters are not to be confused with Extended UPSs. Although they perform exactly the same function,
inverters give an output that is not a smooth sine-wave. It is sometimes considered to be ‘dirty power’.
While this is suitable for most applications, it is detrimental for sensitive electronic equipment such as
computers.

The quality of an extended UPS is also determined by its efficiency. Converting AC power to DC power
and vice-versa is a costly business since each conversion brings along power losses. For example,
converting from AC to DC for charging may be only 60% efficient and the same for converting the other
way. This means that you need 100 units of power to give 60 units (60% of 100 units) of charge power
in the batteries. Once the batteries are fully charged, they are able to discharge only 36 units (60% of 60
units).

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 27
Conclusions and Recommendations
Establishing Internet access in rural areas in an affordable and sustainable manner is clearly not a simple
task. The following aspects of connectivity and energy supply and steps can guide organisations engaged
in rural access activities.

Connectivity and Internet access

Carry out bandwidth needs analysis and compare options. Connectivity and Internet access can be
achieved in many ways based on technical requirements and costs. The needs for bandwidth may vary. It
is therefore recommended that an organisation carries out a thorough assessment of present and future
needs and compares the various options available before it makes any investment. A realistic evaluation
of the actual bandwidth needs can result in considerable cost savings and directly affects the
sustainability.

Cost of Internet access. The cost of Internet access in Ghana is high, and even higher to send
connectivity to rural areas. Copper is the common way to connect to the Internet in Ghana but this is
non-existent in the rural regions. VSAT and long distance wireless broadband is the most common way to
send Internet to rural areas. Investment costs vary between $5,500 and $8,500 for both options and a
monthly fee of $600 and $2,350 for satellite, depending on bandwidth. For Wireless broadband, a
monthly fee of $140 and $850 for shared access and $350 and $1,850 for dedicated access to the
Internet is charged, depending on bandwidth. Maintaining the equipment is problematic and costly, which
reduces profitability. ICT training in rural areas would also be needed.

Share costs. As costs for connectivity to the global Internet via V-SAT are high it is recommended to
optimise use of the bandwidth and explore options to offset the high monthly costs, for example by
sharing connectivity or generating income via VoIP. For example, the Wireless Ghana project uses the
shared model to send connectivity through a mesh wireless network to several other communities in the
Eastern region of Ghana.

Monitor and control the use of bandwidth. Tools to monitor the provision of bandwidth are useful for
claims to providers regarding the bandwidth that is actually delivered compared to the amount that has
been contractually agreed. Tools to regulate bandwidth use are crucial to optimise usage during the 24-
hour availability of the connection. This can be done using pre-set policies. Finally, if a problem with the
network does arise, tools exist that can help to identify the origin of the problem and assist with
troubleshooting.

Reduce costs through collective action. Rural organisations could collectively bargain for
connectivity. For example, if 20 telecentres buy Internet access individually they would pay much more
than if they joined together as a group and then negotiated with an ISP for a larger purchase.

Energy
Rural energy is crucial for rural access. Rural access can be severely undermined by an inadequate
or unreliable power supply. This should be factored into all plans to establish connectivity in rural areas.
Many options exist for power supply, some of which are listed in this report. A sound energy plan and
implementation process will save costs and troubles at a later stage. It also reduces the risk of damage
to equipment. The use of renewable energy offers environmental and socio-economic benefits for the
local community. A decentralised or local power supply will help to extend the operating hours and
services of your telecentres.

Calculate and reduce energy needs. It is necessary for any power supply or back-up system to know
the power consumption. This report gives guidelines on how to calculate this. Power needs can be
reduced by using energy-efficient equipment such as flat-screen monitors rather than old screens and
laptops as opposed to PCs.

Ensure power back-up and fluctuation control. If power from the grid is used, this has to be
consolidated with energy back-up solutions and probably alternative power-supply solutions. It is
recommended to install a UPS that absorbs acute power cuts. The capacity of the UPS should match the
needs to continue operating the system during grid power-cuts. Simple UPSs that absorb power-cuts for
a few minutes are rather cheap, around $60-$80. Extended power back-up solutions are rather costly
and range from US$2,000 to US$5,000. It is advisable to purchase a surge arrestor that eliminates peaks
in power which can damage equipment.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 28
Use common energy-batteries for energy storage. Most systems need batteries to store the energy
generated and release it during other times. Normal energy-storage batteries are cheaper but do not last
as long as the deep cycle batteries which cost twice as much. Car batteries are not recommended
because they need regular maintenance and produce corrosive fumes. Sealed maintenance free batteries
are recommended and cost around US$300 for a 120AH piece.

Solar panels. These are commonly available in Ghana. They require little maintenance once installed.
The cost of a 240 Watt solar panel that provides 6 hours of use for a 40 Watt bulb is, on average,
US$450.

Wind. These are relatively new types of energy in Ghana. It is recommended that these alternative
sources of energy are piloted and closely monitored, documented and shared in order to support
connectivity and access in rural areas. It will be particularly ideal to pilot them in the coastal areas of the
country where it is always windy.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 29
Annex 1: Useful addresses
# Company Name Address Type of service Location Telephone (+233) Fax (+233)
1 1st African P. O. Box 1574 ISP No. 11, 5th Lane 21 778 665
Communications Co. Osu RE 21 783 330
Ltd 20 811 5110
2 2A Communications P. O. Box DS 574 ISP 21 812 021 21 810 023
Dansoman, Accra
3 Acae Company Ltd P. O. Box 105, La- ISP/Spread La 21 777 988
Accra Spectrum 21 782 7971
2.4 & 5.8GHZ
4 Accelon Gh Ltd (IP PMB CT 248, ISP/Public data 21 663 450 21 663 378
Direct Gh Ltd) Cantonments, Accra and VSAT hub
5 Access Africa P. O. Box 589, Accra ISP Lartebiokorshie 21 663 494
International
6 Advanced Voice P. O. Box 18834, Accra ISP Accra 21 303 888
Systems Ltd Central 243 862 312
7 Africa Express P. O. Box OS 2244, ISP/Spread Accra 21 301 391 21 311 726
Communications Osu Spectrum
Network 2.4 & 5.8GHZ
8 Africa Netcom Ltd P. O. Box KIA 9508, ISP/Public
Accra Data/VSAT
9 Africa Online Ghana P. O. Box STC 84 ISP/Public Data/ 5th Floor, GCB 21 246 065/9 21 246 182
Ltd Kaneshie, Accra Spread spectrum Towers, Kwame
Nkrumah Circle
10 African Business P. O. Box MP 467, ISP/Public Data/ Accra 21 310 480 21 313 337
Associates (Gh) Ltd Mamprobi, Accra VSAT
11 African Soft Ltd P. O. Box SD 46, ISP/VSAT No. F459/4 21 257 222 21 257 220
Sports Stadium, Accra Nyaniba Estates,
Osu Accra
12 Africanus Net Limited P. O. Box CT 2277 Public Data/ISP Suite 306, 21 782 031 21 779 049
(Giant International ) Cantonments; Accra VSAT(2.4GHz/ Aviation House; 20 201 3076
5.8GHz) Aviation Road,
VSAT HUB Accra
13 AfriNet P. O. Box CT 1167, ISP/Public Data Ground Floor,
Communications Ltd Cantonments Regimanuel Gray
(Regimanuel Ltd) Bldg, No. 2 La
Bypass, La
14 Agogo Information P. O. Box 16518, KIA ISP Agogo Ashanti 51 881 213 21 255 874
Tech. Centre (Digital Accra/ P. O. Box 1 21 255 65-

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 30
 Development Agogo, Ashanti
Partners, Inc)
15 Agritel Limited P. O. Box AN 6357, ISP 244 375 962 21 221 183
Distance Learning Accra North 21 628 151
16 Alltell Ltd P. O. Box 10011, Accra ISP/Public Data Technology 243 132 244 21 250 888
North services House, Kotobabi
17 Alpha Wireless Co. P. O. Box BT 133, ISP/VSAT Tema 22 310 388
Ltd Tema 22 307 338
244 533 884
18 Altec Systems P. O. Box AN 6504, Public Data/ISP Ring Road 21 256 630 21 255 919
Limited Accra VSAT(2.4GHz/ Central, Nr K
5.8GHz) Nkrumah Circle
VSAT HUB
19 America Telecom P. O. Box 9764, ISP/Public Data Trinity House, 21 228 290 21 761 707
Systems (GH) Ltd Airport, Accra services Ring Road East
Osu
20 Ameritel Co. Ltd P. O. Box 4848 Accra ISP 21 401 982
21 Arrow Networks No. 7 12th Avenue, ISP Public Data 244 331 685
Systems Ltd Abeka Main Rd, Tesano 2.4GHz 8 pairs
UHF (400MHz)
1 pair of VHF
Freq. with 25
MHz
22 Ashesi University PMB CT3, ISP No. 87, 3rd Norla 21 777 902 21 784 768
College Cantonments, Accra Extension, North 21 784 766/7
Labone
23 Atelco Ghana Limited P. O. Box KD 311, ISP/VSAT/ Hse No. C 846/3 21 241 214 21 241 214
Kanda, Accra Public Data Mango Tree Ave, 244 606 889
Asylum Down,
Accra
24 B.P.P. Teletech Black P. O. CE 11150, Tema ISP Hse No. V29, C9 22 304 390 22 304 390
Pearl Project Ltd Tema
25 BBL Ltd P. O. Box 9257, KIA ISP 74 Farrar 21 241 111 21 241 312
Accra Avenue, Opp
Trust Towers
Adabraka
26 Bertek Network P. O. Box 4418, ISP/VSAT 244 380 131
Solutions Ltd Kumasi
27 Besnet Company P. O. Box OS 1779, ISP Antrak House, 21 768 324 21 773 964
Limited Osu Accra Osu 21 772 487
28 Bhext Company Ltd P. O. Box KIA 30491, ISP Mensah-Sarbah 21 232 760
Accra North Hall, Accra

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 31
29 Broadspectrum Ltd P. O. Box 12343, Accra Accra 21 701 0465 21 701 0965
North
30 Business Ghana P. O. Box MP 1219 ISP/VSAT Accra 21 672 289
Internet Services Mamprobi, Accra Spread Spectrum 20 816 6150
2.4 & 5.8GH 244 373 306
31 CATV Ltd P. O. Box CO 3057, ISP E 7 Sakumono
Tema Flats, Tema
32 Cleartel Direct P. O. Box 113, ISP Hse. No. D623/3 243 680 006
Communication Johannesville Ofankor, Brewery Road
Accra Adabraka
33 Comsys Ghana Ltd P. O. Box 11322, Accra ISP/VSAT 21 251 097 21 254 540
North Spread Spectrum 21 250 757
2.4 &
5.8GHZ
34 Daigoh Shoji C 90/24 West Airport ISP C 90/24 West 21 785 683 21 785 684
Partners Ltd Res PMB CT 200 Airport
Cantonements, Accra Residential Area,
Accra
35 Danjude Company P. O. Box AN 19400, ISP/Public 8th Floor GCB 21 255 521-4 21 255 521
Ltd Accra North Data Towers, Kwame
VSAT Nkrumah Circle
36 Datanet P. O. Box LG 707. ISP/Public Data Accra
Communications Ltd Legon, Accra Network/VSAT
37 Easy Net Company P. O. Box AN 6564, ISP Accra
Ltd Accra
38 E-Link Technologies P. O. Box 9771, KIA; ISP/ Public Data/ Nyaniba Estate, 21 762 015 21 762 449
Accra VSAT Osu
39 Engineering Services P. O. Box 2007. ISP/Public Data Premier Towers, 21 678 080 21 678 090
& Systems Ltd Cantonments, Accra Network Suite 10B,
Pension Street,
Accra
40 Equitele Gh Ltd P. O. Box 16520 KIA, ISP Trade Fair Site, 21 701 0465
Accra Pavilion Q
41 Eva-Asa Company P. O. Box 2393, ISP/VSAT 61 267 32/61 265 56 61 265 56
Ltd Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 20 811 800 48
244 410 048
42 F Giant Broadcasting P. O. Box 5867, ISP Prempeh Hall, 51 340 58 51 340 97
Ltd Kumasi Maxwell Road
43 Faith Telecom Ltd P. O. Box CT 1412, ISP/VSAT/Public Accra 21 250 944 21 250 945
Cantonments, Accra Data
44 Farcom Investment P. O. Box 2627 Accra ISP/VSAT/ Accra
Ghana Ltd Spread
Spectrum

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 32
 2.4 &
5.8GHZ
45 Gatel P. O. Box CST 9090 ISP Community 7
Communications Ltd Community 7, Tema
46 Gateway Telecoms P. O. Box C 766, ISP Accra 244 257 104 22 204 374
Ltd Cantonments
47 General P. O. Box GP 231 Accra ISP/VSAT Hse. No. 5 8th 21 683 854/5
Communications Co. Ave, West Ridge, 243 259 038
Ltd 2nd Bldg on right
after EC Head
Office.
48 Geosat Technologies P. O. Box B 525, Tema ISP 22 202 856 22 202 856
Ltd
49 Ghana Classified P. O. Box 1323, Accra ISP 57 East 11th St, 21 232 700 21 235 334
Suite 9 New
York, NY 10093
50 Ghana Net P. O. Box C 2325, ISP/VSAT 55 Faanofaa
Cantonments, Accra Road
Kokomlemle
51 Goldern Beach Hotel P. O. Box 3000 Accra ISP/Spread Accra 21 781 621 21 768 947
Gh Ltd Spectrum
2.4 &
5.8GHZ
52 Gold-On-Line Ltd P. O. Box 16417, ISP/ Public Data/ Aviation Road 21 761 712 21 777 527
Airport, Accra VSAT 21 778 670
53 Gongon P. O. Box 15172, Accra ISP Jesus Cares 21 665 830 21 663 935
Communications North Building, Ring
Road 276A Ward
O Block, Accra
54 Grasrut Ventures P. O. Box 234, Tamale ISP/VSAT Tamale 71 236 14 71 236 90
55 Greenfield Media P. O. Box CT 3673, ISP 21 250 844 21 250 844
Limited Cantonments, Accra 21 701 0149
56 Grobohama Ltd P. O. Box CT 488, ISP/VSAT 75-77 Ring Road 21 247 972 21 249 207
(Groboplus) Cantonments, Accra Central, Asylum 21 252 100 21 247 971
Down, Accra 21 251 900
57 H.I.M Solutions P. O. Box 20012, Accra ISP/VSAT/ No. 11 Lamb 21 257 400 21 257 410
Ghana Spread Spectrum Street, Asylum 21 257 743
2.4 & G.8 Down Accra
GHZ
58 Horizon Network P. O. Box 8914, 20 811 6755
Services Kumasi
59 Horizon Telecom Co. P. O. Box CT 3315, ISP/VSAT Accra 21 508 431
Ltd Accra 244 479 479

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 33
60 Hyperlink Network P. O. Box 16110, KIA ISP/VSAT/ Blk 8 Science 21 230 174 21 230 261
System Accra Public Data Museum , off 21 230 125
Banson Road
61 Hyspec Ghana P. O. Box SC 486, ISP/VSAT/ 21 770 434 21 768 867
Community 1, tema Spread Spectrum
2.4 & 5.8GHZ
62 Infinite Stream PMB 208, Accra North ISP/Public Rawa Plaza, 244 683 610
(Valve Data Ghana Data/VSAT Mango Tree
Ltd) Avenue Asylum
Down, Accra
63 Innetix Ghana Ltd P. O. Box 15084, Accra ISP 21 701 2001 21 701 2005
(IGL) North
64 Intercom Data P. O. Box 16439, KIA, ISP Accra 21 408 311 21 408 310
Network Gh Accra
65 Intercom Programme P. O. Box 7617, Accra ISP 62 Kojo
& Manufacturing Co. North Thompson Rd,
Ltd Rana House
Adabraka Accra
66 Intercontinental Calls P. O. Box CS 8282, ISP Hse No. U 51, Sir 22 310 928/9
Ltd Tema Arku Korsah St. 244 210 525
C8 tema
67 Internet Business P. O. Box CT 686, ISP 21 762 083 21 778 422
Centres (Gh) Limited Cantonments, Accra 21 701 2260
68 Internet Data P. O. Box AD 84, ISP 25 Mushroom St.
Network Adabraka, Accra Ghana Telecom
Dome Exchange,
Accra
69 Internet Ghana Ltd P. O. Box GP 90, Accra ISP/VSAT Mama Abui Plaza 21 251 871-6 21 251 877
Spread Spectrum Hall Avenue,
2.4 & 5.8GHZ Adabraka
70 Into Africa P. O. Box 9732, Osu ISP SRS/029, 21 774 587
Investment RE Accra Eleventh Lane, 21 773 153
Opp US Embassy 277 403 346
71 IT Services Limited P. O. Box 15239, Accra ISP/Public Data No. 1 1st Dade 21 774 117 21 774 117
North services Walk, North
Labone Est.
72 Java Net Limited P. O. Box 1632, Accra ISP/Public 1st Floor,
North Data Teachers Hall
2.4/58GHz Annex, Education
Loop
73 Jtel Technologies P. O. Box CT 3249 ISP 16 Linda Street, 21 507316 21 763 647
Cantonments, Accra East Legon 20 815 4920
74 Kalss Inn Ryma East Legon, Abedi Pele ISP/Public Data Lagos Avenue 21 517 746 21 517 745

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 34
 Telecommunications Road, Accra /VSAT/ Spread 38A East Legon, 21 518 214/5
Ltd. Spectrum 2.4 & Accra
5.8GHZ
75 K-Computer Services P. O. Box 0641, Osu ISP Silicon House,
Accra Public Data No. 4 North
Network Ridge Crescent,
Accra
76 Kelstone Gh Ltd P. O. Box OS 1560, ISP T17 Aduman Rd
Netin Ghana Ltd Airport Accra Tesano Accra
77 Kina Telecom Limited P. O. Box 241, La- ISP/Public Data Accra 21 665 113 21 678 952
Trade Fair
78 Konetme Limited P. O. Box 1A 95, Accra ISP 45 Kwame 244 365 457
(formerly Link to North Nkrumah Ave; 244 370 363
Link Solutions) 3rd Suite 313
79 Koo Consult Limited P. O. Box An 7456, ISP/Public Data 46A 4th Close
Accra North Akosombo Road,
Airport
Residential Area
80 Lamdelta P. O. Box 146, Sekondi VSAT/ISP Hse. No 14 31 465 67 31 465 67
Communication Ltd Spread Bakaekyir,
Spectrum Sekondi
2.4 & 5.8GH
81 Legendary Telecom P. O. Box 11552; Accra ISP/Public Accra 21 812 353 21 812 187
Company North Data/VSAT
82 Linkserve Ghana Ltd P. O. Box 18343, Accra ISP 64 Mango Lane, 21 778 205
North Asylum Down
83 Luxe Telecom Ghana P. O. Box MP 1140, ISP/ Public Data Accra
Ltd Mamprobi, Accra 2.4/5.8GHz
84 Mac Telecom P. O. GP 18220, Accra ISP 21 669 532 21 234 663
North 21 403 438
85 Mex Multimedia P. O. Box 0629, ISP Cocoa Villa Road, 31 205 76
Takoradi Newsite Takoradi
86 Ministry of Defence Directorate of ISP Burma Camp 21 777 528
(Directorate of Communications,
Communications) General Headquarters,
Burma Camp, Accra
87 Mobicall Ghana Ltd P. O. Box 4030, Accra VSAT CT 144 21 229 160 21 226 547
Cantonments, 21 222 846
Accra
88 Nas International P. O. Box KA 30682, ISP 9th Floor GCB 21 701 2800/2 21 701 2803
Global Networks Airport, Accra Tower, Kwame
Nkrumah Circle
89 Natel Ltd PMB CT 309, ISP 5th Floor, 244 283 262 21 812 036

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 35
 Cantonments, Accra Heritage Tower
90 National Catholic Secretary General’s ISP Secretary 21 502 148 21 502 149
Secretariat Office, Century House; General’s Office, 21 500 491/2 21 500 493
P. O. Box KA 9712, Century House
Accra Near Tetteh
Quarshie
Overpass
91 NB Teleworld Ltd P. O. Box AN 15497, ISP/Spread 1st Floor
Accra North Spectrum Women’s World
2.4 & Bank, Opp
5.8GHZ Ferrotal Ghana,
Avenor
92 Nel P. O. Box AN 6488, ISP Maame Yaa Place 21 221 434 21 223 208
Telecommunications Accra North
Ltd
93 Net Access Ltd P. O. Box CT 2653, ISP/VSAT Accra 20 201 2998
Cantonments, Accra 244 230 225
94 NetAfrique Dot Com P. O. Box TN 1293 ISP/ Public 4th Floor 21 688 699
Ltd Accra Data/ Southern Wing,
2.4GHz/5.8G Ghana
Hz Multimedia
Centre, High St,
Accra
95 NetPartners Limited P. O. Box 8074, Accra ISP Ring Road 21 258 700/58
North Central, 5th
Crescent, Accra
96 Netplux Ltd P. O. Box CT 2057, ISP/VSAT 4 Castle Royalt
(Afriweb) Accra Rd, Kokomlemle
Accra
97 Network Computer Private Mail Bag, Osu ISP 34 Church 21 779 321/2 21 773 372
Systems Accra Crescent, Labone 21 762 170 21 762 173
Accra
98 NGN7 Ltd PMB C-95, ISP Accra 244 331 757
Cantonments
99 NTS Telecom Ghana P. M.B 16, Medina ISP/ Public 205 Lagos St, 21 510 765/6 21 510 996
Ltd Accra Data/ VSAT East Legon
10 Omega Computer & P. O. Box 1255, ISP 22 210 235
0 Communication Tema 20 811 0603
Services
10 Omega Technologies No. 10 Chestnut Road ISP/VSAT No. 10 Chestnut 21 811 932
1 Limited Silver Bells, Road Silver Bells,
Regimanuel Est; East Regimanuel Est;
Airport, Accra East Airport,

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 36
 Accra
10 OralCom Ghana Ltd P. O. Box KN 379 ISP Accra 244 837 950
2 Accra 277 191 554
10 Phoenix Network P. O. Box AH 1151, ISP/VSAT/ Accra 21 783 531
3 (Subsidiary Company Achimota, Accra Public Data 244 642 822
of Phoenix Media 244 223 964
Publishing)
10 Procon Gh Ltd P. O. Box KA 16271, ISP/Public Accra 21 779 374 21 – 772 053
4 Accra Data/VSAT 21 760 350
10 Ray Foundation c/o Ernst & Young Plc. ISP 21 779 867 21 772 008
5 Ghana White Ave; Airport
Area
10 Red Mango Ltd PMB CT 121, ISP 21 246 854 21 242 140
6 Cantonments, Accra
10 S. D. N Ghana Ltd P. O. Box STC 84, ISP 5th Floor, GCB 21 246 108 21 246 132
7 Kaneshie, Accra Towers, Kwame
Nkrumah Circle
10 S. N. I. P. O. Box 11323, Tema ISP Tema 22 302 641 22 226 286
8 20 813 0605
10 Satconsult Ltd GPO 21024, Accra ISP Accra 244 370 363
9 244 365 457
11 Smart Call Ltd P. O. Box KN 810, ISP Hse No. F205/4 21 762 114 21 765 456
0 Accra Kalamzo,
Agbaame St, Ako
Adjei, Osu
11 Spectrum P. O. Box CT 2007, ISP/Public data 3rd Floor Akai 21 763 807 21 216 963
1 International Ltd Cantonments, Accra Hse
No. 38A/1
Ringway Est. Osu
11 Sphinx Tele-Systems P. O. Box CT 159, ISP Accra 22 301 279 21 241 313
2 Ltd Cantonments , Accra
11 Springfield Africa ltd P. O. Box CT 4626, ISP/VSAT 18, Third Close, 21 777 494 21 775 380
3 Accra Airport 21 780 313/4
Residential Area
11 Springs Engineering P. O. Box OS 2046 Osu ISP/VSAT 2nd Floor Sotrec 21 786 258 21 786 284
4 Systems Accra Spread Spectrum Bldg, F235/2, 21 786 259
2.4 & Abebresem
5.8GHZ Street
11 Startel Solutions Ltd P. O. Box 16409, ISP Accra 21 669 816 21 667 277
5 Airport, Accra 21 668 434
11 Storm Net Systems P. O. Box 17244, ISP No. 12 St. 21 402 252
6 Ltd Achimota Anthony, 244 184 313
Achimota

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 37
 Residential Area
11 Swift Sourcing P. O. Box 453, Accra ISP 4 Liberation 21 761 746 21 775 480
7 Solutions Road
11 Tandem Networks P. O. Box CT 340, ISP Accra 21 51795 21 51795
8 Ltd Cantonments, Accra 244 323 284
20 201 2931
11 Tech Zone Advanced P. O. Box ST 321 STC ISP/VSAT Kaneshie First 21 256 720-2 21 256 724
9 Technologies Accra Light
12 Telecom Information P. O. Box CO 2419, ISP/Public F 142/6 La 244 727 240 21 813 742
0 Systems Africa Tema Data/VSAT Crescent Road, 244 615 253
(TELISAF) Labone 21 813 741
12 Teledata ICT Ltd P. O. Box 8839, Accra ISP/2.4GHz/ Ring Road 21 238 662/3 21 238 494
1 North 5.8GHz Central 21 701 0172/3
12 Tin-Ifa Ghana Ltd P. O. Box 15201, Accra ISP/ VSAT C 354/3
2 North, Accra Laimomo St,
Asylum Down
Accra
12 Tonayaa Business P.O. Box 1824, ISP Hse. No. CO 21 238 211 21 238 211
3 Centre Ltd Kaneshie 266/15. Alajo,
Accra
12 Transatlantic P. O. Box LT 292, ISP/VSAT 2nd Floor, Trinity
4 Network Limited Laterbiokorshie, Accra House, Ring
Road East
12 U2 Online P. O. Box AN 12609, ISP/ VSAT Accra 21 236 150 21 229 314
5 Communications Ltd Accra North Spread Spectrum
2.4 & 5.8GHz
Public Data
Network &
Spectrum in
2GHz
Bandwidth
12 United Business P. O. Box 1842, ISP House No. G92, 21 312 855/54 21 226 563
6 Systems Ltd (Gh) Kaneshie Accra 10th St. Club
250 Rd. 1st Stop
Roundabout
Dansoman,
Accra
12 United Technology P. O. Box 2266, Accra ISP Accra 21 763 449 21 763 449
7 Company
12 Universal Cyberlinks P. O. SK 717, ISP/VSAT Accra 21 811 395 21 811 406
8 Sakumono Tema
12 Usan Ghana P. O. Box CT 35, ISP 21 779 502 21 779 500
9 Cantonments, Accra 21 779 501 21 240 700

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 38
 21 774 069
13 Voltacom (VRA) P. O. Box M77, Accra ISP/ VSAT 21 221 124 21 662 610
0 21 664 941
13 Warren Development P. O. Box OD 532 ISP/VSAT/ Accra
1 Corporation Ghana Odorkor, Accra 2.4GHz/5.8G
Ltd Hz
13 WaveLinks Limited P. O. Box 10094, Accra ISP Accra 21 773 334
2 North 21 502 332
13 West Africa Network P. O. Box AD 309, ISP/ VSAT/ No. 63 Patrice 21 776 402
3 Ltd Adabraka, Accra Spread Spectrum Lumumba Link, 243 337 777
2.4GHZ Airport 244 330 728
Residential Area.
13 Wice-Net Ghana Ltd P. O. Box CT 3038, ISP # 4, Ghana 21 774 462 21 518 111
4 Cantonments, Accra Multimedia
Incubation
Centre. Ghana
House. High St,
Accra
13 Worldlink Comm Ltd P. O. Box CT 3677, ISP/VSAT 21 768 357/8 21 771 663
5 Cantonments, Accra
13 Worldstar P. O. Box 6784, Accra ISP 21 778 506 21 778 508
6 International Ltd
13 Zytec Telecom ltd P. O. Box 15175, Accra ISP Shop 7 Kingsway 21 256 884/5 21 256 987
7 North Bldg; Kwame 21 2333 915
Nkrumah Avenue
Swanzy
Shopping Arcade

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 39
Annex 2: Profiles
About the author
Jonnie Akakpo has over twenty (20) years of teaching, training and consulting experience in
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Organisation Development (OD). He is an
expert in forecasting workforce requirements, establishing and redesigning organisations;
influencing and leading the work of individuals and groups in change initiatives with a systematic
injection of ICT interventions.

About Consolidated Solutions Limited (CSL)

Jonnie Akakpo works with Consolidated Solutions Limited (CSL); a multi-
P. O. Box AT 922
disciplinary firm that works from the capital city, Accra, in Ghana. CSL Achimota – Accra
facilitates change in diverse areas of individual and organisational learning Email: info@cslgh.com
Tel: +233 21 232 792
and development. CSL also employs contemporary ICTs for enhanced
organisational productivity and effectiveness.

About GINKS
The Ghana Information and Knowledge Sharing Network (GINKS) is a
constitution of a broad range of people drawn from various fields of
endeavour but mainly involved in Information Communication Technologies The Executive Secretary GINKS
(ICTs) and sustainable Development. GINKS acts as a linchpin that DTD 173, Cantonments
Email: info@ginks.org
streamlines all disjointed ICT projects, initiatives and programs in a way Tel: +233 21 785654
that provides solutions to challenges and problems in the ICT environment. Fax: +233 21 786554
More information: www.ginks.org.

About IICD
The International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
helps developing countries to realise sustainable development by harnessing
the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The
driving force behind IICD’s activities is that local ‘change agents’ themselves
identify and develop proposals for realistic ICT applications - local ownership forms the essential
basis for sustainable socio-economic development. Acting as a catalyst, IICD’s three-pronged
strategy is mainly delivered through a series of integrated Country Programmes. First, IICD
facilitates ICT Roundtable Processes in selected developing countries, where local stakeholders
identify and formulate ICT-supported policies and projects based on local needs. Second, working
with training partners in each country, Capacity Development activities are organised to develop
the skills and other capacities identified by the local partners. Third, IICD draws on its global
network to provide information and advice to its local partners, also fostering local information
exchange networks on the use of ICTs for development. The best practices and lessons learned are
documented and disseminated internationally through a Knowledge Sharing programme. In support
of these activities, IICD invests in the development of concrete partnerships with public, private
and non profit organisations, thus mobilising knowledge and resources needed by IICD and its local
partners. Country Programmes are currently being implemented in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ecuador,
Ghana, Jamaica, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. More information: www.iicd.org.

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 40
 P.O. Box 11586
2502 AN The Hague
The Netherlands

visitors address:
Raamweg 5
2596 HL The Hague
The Netherlands

T. +31 (0)70 - 311 73 11

F. +31 (0)70 - 311 73 22
E. information@iicd.org
www.iicd.org

© International Institute for Communication and Development, The Hague, 2008

Rural Access: Options and Challenges for Connectivity and Energy in Ghana 41