Glo digs Ghana to lay underground cables for broadband Internet

gloGlobacom, the sixth company licensed to provide mobile telephony in Ghana has began digging the ground in Ghana to lay underground cables for its broadband service, according to information reaching ghanabusinessnews.com.

The other companies operating in Ghana are MTN, Vodafone Ghana, Tigo, Kasapa and Zain.

Glo received the license to operate in Ghana in June 2008 from the National Communications Authority (NCA) in Accra. But regulatory and permit challenges have slowed it from setting up its base stations to begin operations. Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently granted it license to that effect, paving the way for Glo to begin building its cells sites.

When the company was issued its license to begin operations in Ghana, Glo’s management announced the establishment of its Glo-1 Submarine cable to be laid through Europe, Accra to Nigeria.

In the last few weeks workmen have been seen digging trenches in parts of Accra and laying the cables which have been laid in the United Kingdom through Portugal and has now reached Ghana.

But there is anxiety in Nigeria over when Glo will lay the cables in Nigeria. Originally, the company promised to make it operational in West Africa’s most populous nation early in 2009, but the launch date according to information available to ghanabusinessnews.com, has already been shifted twice from March to May and now rescheduled for November.

Observers of the mobile telephony industry in Ghana are hopeful that when Glo’s services become operational in Ghana, the country’s already vibrant telecommunication sector would see keener competition and probably improved services.

A report by Companies and Markets, a research company, has described Ghana’s mobile telephony industry as one of the largest in West Africa with over 11 million of the country’s 22 million population using mobile phones. Only one out of 40 Ghanaians has a fixed line. Internet penetration too is very low. Available data shows that Internet usage in Ghana is a mere 2.7 per cent as compared to 5.3 per cent in Africa.

The statistics also indicate that less than two million Ghanaians have access to the Internet.

The Glo-1 Submarine cable is however, expected to increase Internet accessibility and speed in the country when it becomes operational.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi

No Comments
  1. l says

    Are u going to compared nigeria 51million sub. to that of ghana even south africa can’t competite with nigeria.

  2. nana says

    no launch date? anyway, we are waiting for glo and we want the best!

  3. agyei says

    Glo should come and crash data rates in ghana.mtn and tigo are cheating ghanaians

  4. EMMANUEL K. OPPONG says

    am really interested in working with Glo to help brand Ghana Green.
    i am am international diploma holder in computer system support, diploma in hardware, diploma in information technology. advance diploma in information technology.
    hope you would consider me for this post.
    Thank you

    p.o. bos md 795 madina accra
    phone no: 027 7373 181, 026 7373 181

  5. kwasi says

    Agyei, check out data rates from Zain. They’re cool. Try it.

  6. kojo says

    Dig ghana/Africa ,lay fiber optic cables speed data transfer reduce traffic and cost of communication and GLO i am with you. Africa loves GLO.

  7. adams daniel says

    Glo i can’t wait to welcome you. Good service is all what Ghanaians need. Dig well and preserve our land for us. the top network is 3.5g. we want u to go beyond them and try save Ghana. Esp. the radiation the others produce. thank .reserve ma number for me.

  8. Andrews ayensu says

    Is a sabotage by the other networks or what.

  9. aberinga milton says

    GLOs coming is a WELCOMING news. the others have taken us for granted. very poor network which makes calls very unreliable, embarrassing and expensive. more so they are killing us slowly with their cancer ‘infectious’ masts!
    please come! WE CAN’T wait to SEE YOU.
    THE BEST.
    Aberinga MIlton, Bolga, UER.

  10. prosper says

    the atmosphere is already filled with GLO as if they are here, i cannot wait to see glo in ghana and i hope you will come with better services than what others are already doing. i cannot wait to be part and i will love to be part of your success story in ghana.

  11. agnes says

    wow, go GLO and make ghana proud in telecommunications advancement!!

  12. RICHARD DUAH says

    I can’t wait to own a chip from glo. GO GO GO GLO

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