Government To Sanction Telcos if They Fail To Improve Service Quality by December 2025

Government To Sanction Telcos if They Fail To Improve Service Quality by December 2025

  • The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has threatened to sanction the telcos
  • Sam George gave them an ultimatum to either improve their service quality or pay heavy fines that will be imposed by the government
  • He added that the customer will also benefit from the fines that the telcos will be made to pay for their poor services

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The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, issued an ultimatum to mobile network operators in Ghana to improve the quality of their services.

The Minister said failure to improve their services will see the telcos face some heavy fines from the government.

Sam George, Samuel Nartey George, Minister for Communication, Telcos in Ghana, Provide good service, MTN Ghana, Telecel, AT
Communication Minister, Sam George, gives telcos in Ghana an ultimatum to improve service quality or face sanctions. Photo credit: @samgeorgegh
Source: Facebook

Sam George cautioned the telcos during a high-level meeting held on Friday, May 30, 2025. In attendance were the Chief Executive Officers and technical teams of the country’s major telecom providers — MTN, Telecel, and AT.

The Minister said that the telcos must greatly improve the quality of their services by December 31, 2025, or face severe financial penalties. He added that a portion of the financial penalties will be given directly to affected customers.

Sam George announced that 40% of any fines imposed on non-compliant telecom companies will go directly to affected customers, likely through data or call-time bonuses.

He said the continuous poor services customers experience, especially in urban centres and key towns, must be addressed.

“We are not doing sentiments. We are doing engineering. If you have infrastructure in place but your service is poor, we must begin to take regulatory action.”

He stated that for the short term, operators have until June 30, 2025, to finish the acceptance process for newly allocated spectrum. After the acceptance process, the telcos are expected to start deploying the spectrum immediately while they also work on improving their services by the end of December 2025.

Sam George added that a nationwide service quality test of all district capitals will be conducted by the National Communication Authority (NCA) in the third quarter of 2025.

The report will cause the government to take action if there have been no major improvements.

Sam George, Samuel Nartey George, Minister for Communication, Telcos in Ghana, Provide good service, MTN Ghana, Telecel, AT
Communication Minister, Sam George, gives telcos in Ghana an ultimatum to improve service quality or face sanctions. Photo credit: @samgeorgegh
Source: Facebook
“We know you can’t complete upgrades in three months, but we must see that the process has begun. The Ghanaian people must feel the impact of the spectrum rollout by the end of this year,” Sam George said.

The Minister also talked about data pricing. He said a committee was formed in February 2025 to come up with a strategy for gradual reductions in data costs. He explained that this is mainly to offer more value to consumers rather than immediate price drops.

Telco CEOs share strategies

The three CEOs of the telcos in Ghana shared their strategies to the service quality concerns.

MTN Ghana’s Stephen Blewett said the company had invested $230 million in 2024 to strengthen its network and IT systems. The telco intends to launch 300 new franchise outlets, hire 400 new staff, and roll out secure self-service tools for SIM swaps and PIN resets.

Telecel Ghana’s COO, Mohamad Ghaddar, said they would continuously optimise the network and improve customer service. The company has over 400 retail shops and intends to add 100 more.

AT CEO Leo Skarlatos said they are already undertaking some significant network upgrades. He said the upgrades should be “clearly visible” by the first quarter of 2026.

Sam George meets viral iPhone repair specialist

YEN.com.gh reported that an iPhone repair specialist who went viral met Sam Nartey George.

The Minister hailed and introduced the Kumasi-based technician to some of his powerful colleagues.

Social media users shared their thoughts when a video was shared online.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Magdalene Larnyoh avatar

Magdalene Larnyoh (Human-Interest editor) Magdalene Larnyoh writes for the Human Interest Desk at YEN.com.gh. She has over ten years of experience in media and communications. She previously worked for Citi FM, Pulse Ghana, and Business Insider Africa. She obtained a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in 2012. Reach out to her on magdalene.larnyoh@yen.com.gh