MTN Ghana has christened the whole of September as the Internet Festival (I-FEST) month and would use the month to educate different segments of society on specific ways in which they can benefit from the internet. The month would also be used to educate the public about the various MTN data products and services, their multiple uses and the competitive advantage they have over similar services on other networks. Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Michael Ikpoki said MTN noted that whereas lots of Ghanaians knew about the internet, only about 5.4 per cent of Ghanaians actually used the internet, and much fewer Ghanaians draw significant benefits from the internet. “Internet penetration in Ghana today is far from where it should be so the challenge we have is to create the awareness among the various segments of society so that more people would make use of the internet to enrich their lives in Ghana,” he said. Mr. Ikpoki said I-FEST was therefore targeted at students, journalists, farmers, doctors and several other segments of society with the view to creating awareness on how the internet can transform their lives. “We trust that by the close of this one month the number of Ghanaians who use the internet would have doubled,” he said. Innovation Manager, Marketing at MTN Ghana, Nana Osei Afrifa told Adom News that one megabyte of data on MTN data bundle service was only 1.2Gp, which was the lowest in the country, adding that even with pay-as-you-spend, one megabyte of data was 6Gp, which was three times lower that the closest competitor offered. But Adom News investigations indicated the lowest rate on Tigo data bundle is 0.63Gp per megabyte, which is lower than what MTN offers; the lowest on Airtel data bundle is also 1.2Gp per megabyte, which is the same as what MTN offers; the lowest on Vodafone bundle is 1.24Gp per megabyte. Nana Osei Afrifa said with only 50Gp one could download a full song on MTN, adding “we also give you 7.2 Megabits per second speed, which is the highest on the market and we are still working to improve to 14 megabits per second then to 21 megabits per second to show that life is richer on MTN.” He said during the I-Fest month, MTN would give journalists who subscribe to the MTN data bundles great discounts and some education on how to surf the internet for reliable information for their stories and articles, adding that there are special packages for farmers, doctors and students as well. Nana Osei Afrifa said there would also be quizzes in which people would win exciting prizes such as BlackBerry phones, Laptops, MTN Modems and souvenirs. He hinted that in the coming months MTN would excite customers and Ghanaians with its range of products and services. Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana, Rahul De said during I-Fest, MTN would be setting up demonstration centres at various points such as Accra Mall, Osu Oxford Street and others to explain the procedure in accessing the affordable MTN data bundles and other data offerings.