Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II has lauded mobile telecom operators in Ghana for extending coverage to remote villages where other utility services like water and electricity are not yet available. Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications (GCT), the Paramount Chief of the Akyem State told a story of how he met a lady in one of the remotest villages in his state carrying a bucket of water she had fetched from a river while speaking on her mobile phone. “This is a clear sign that the telecom operators provide services in places where even Ghana Water has not been able to provide potable water, and we need to applaud the telecom service providers for that,” he said amidst applause. He noted that was just one example of many villages across Ghana where people have access to telecom services but other utility services like water and electricity were not yet available. Chief Executive of GCT, Kwaku Sakyi-Addo was grateful for Osagyefo’s acknowledgement of how telecom operators have transformed lives in the country, but noted that several conditions were militating against the operators in their efforts to expand to several more remote and deprived communities. He said discriminatory and multiple taxes by the metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs) which oversee development in those areas were making it increasingly difficult for the telecom operators to expand further. Mr. Sakyi-Addo cited an example of how one district assembly charges telecom operators GHC9,000 for business operators permit (BOP) while other bluechip companies paid only up to GHC1,000 for same. He said another district assembly last year maintained BOP fees for all other companies at GHC2,000 but increased that of telecom operators to almost GHC22,000, while another assembly is currently preventing a telecom operator from laying a fibre through its towns unless the operator pays GHC420,000 to the assembly. Mr. Sakyi-Addo said added to the multiple, high and discriminatory charges, the telecom operators also suffered up to 400 fibre cuts this year alone, which also disrupt service quality, cost about $140,000 for each operator to repair, deny them revenue and also tarnish their reputation. The Minister of Communications, Haruna Iddrisu has assured the telecom operators that he will set up a panel to reconsider the charges and fees that the MMDA’s inflict on the telecom operators. He also promised the telecom operators that beginning from 2012, any of them which will spread voice and data services to the remotest parts of the country will be given tax incentives.