Govt Whips MTN Over Compensation

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has rejected the compensation MTN Ghana, a leading mobile telecommunication provider, wants to offer to its subscribers for service disruptions. MTN Ghana wanted to offer paltry compensation for service disruption that occurred on August 14 and a half day on August 15, this year. MTN Ghana offered five minutes of all call time valid for two days for customers with affected areas, default on-net determination rate for MTN per minute at GH₵ 0.09 and value of MTN compensation at GH₵ 0.45. But the NCA flatly rejected the compensation and set out ground rules for MTN Ghana to pay the right compensation to its subscribers. The NCA is also applying sanctions, in addition to the compensation package per the license for mobile cellular operation.The company is to pay GH₵75,000 for failing to submit compensation package for approval and implementation within 24 hours. A letter from the NCA by Paarock Vanpercy, Director General, to MTN, dated August 23, 2013, which was made available to The Enquirer by an angry MTN Ghana official, said the NCA decided to decline MTN�s proposal because it was not truthful in some ways. According to the letter, the network disruptions covered two days and not 18 hours as MTN Ghana wanted the NCA to believe. The NCA stated the service�s disruption affected voice, SMS and data, but the compensation calculation was based on only voice. The NCA further directed that MTN should offer to a minimum GH₵0.72 credit top-up to all exiting pre-paid customers to be used in the next 30 days from tomorrow August 28. Again, the NCA is asking MTN Ghana to offer to all minimum, post-paid subscribers for their August bill. The NCA arrived at the decisions after careful realizing that MTN had nearly succeeded in shortchanging subscribers by not presenting full facts on the service disruptions.