The National Communications Authority has imposed a 1.2 million Ghana Cedi fine on MTN, Vodafone, Airtel, Expresso and Tigo for rendering sloppy services to their clients. The punishment of the five Telcos covers the third quarter of this year. It forms part of a strategy by the NCA to ensure that MTN, Vodafone, Airtel, Expresso and Tigo do not take subscribers for granted in their operations. In a report issued by the NCA and published by the Daily Graphic, the Telecoms regulator says Airtel will suffer the heaviest fine of 350,000 Ghana Cedis for experiencing call channel traffic congestion, an offence for which market leader, MTN, has also been cited. However MTN and Expresso will each pay 300,000 Ghana Cedis. Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on the fine, a Deputy Director In Charge of Consumer and Corporate Affairs at the NCA, Mr Mawuko Zormelo, said the NCA wants to ensure that the telecom companies improve their services "for consumers to have absolute value for money." He said although the telecom companies have invested heavily in infrastructure, more needs to be done. According to him, the NCA is also determined to compel the telcos not only to improve their services but also to take their customer service seriously. The parameters considered in imposing the penalties, he said, were call drops, call congestion amongst others. Mawuko Zormelo rejected suggestions that the fines are too negligible, maintaining that the purpose of the fine was to achieve the overall objective of improved mobile telephony services to subscribers. The money will go the state, he said.