Tigo which is operated by Millicom Ghana Ltd. has rolled out two initiatives to boost internet usage on its platform.

This includes a connection to the Ghana Internet Exchange - a facility which keeps Ghanaian internet traffic in Ghana and an anti-spam system to guarantee maximum cyber-security among its customers.

The Ghana Internet Exchange also allows local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Network Operators to easily exchange traffic within Ghana, while improving connectivity and services for customers.

The exchange offers Tigo Internet users enhanced access to internet services by way of speed and reliability. This is also at more-affordable rates rather than the current situation which attracts international charges and thereby makes it quite expensive in the country.

The Internet Offer Design Manager at Tigo, Gloria Adutwumwaa Frempong has been explaining further to JOY BUSINESS.                             

“It keeps or catches the local traffic. So instead of the traffic going all the way to UK before the sender can get whatever he or she wants, it becomes faster and easier because we now have a cache engine now that keeps all local traffic. And so you don’t have to spend so much volumes waiting for the page to open because it's now going to some foreign country first,” she said.

With this exchange, Tigo Internet users can also enjoy additional “value-added” services such as web content hosting, audio and video streaming, E-commerce, etc services which hitherto have had to be sourced from international providers.

The Telecom operator has also upgraded its anti-spam system to protect its customers against cyber fraud amid rising incidents of cyber crime in Ghana where several people are said to be making huge purchases online with stolen credit card details of especially unsuspecting non-residents.

The system virtually eliminates spam activities in customers’ emails and also reduces incidents of phishing such as password, credit card details thefts and unsolicited emails.  Most often, communications purported to be coming from popular social web sites, auction sites, banks, online payment processors or IT administrators are used to lure unsuspecting internet users who fall prey to the activities of cyber criminals. Phishing emails may also contain links to websites that are infected with virus or malware which could corrupt or erase data from user’s computers.

Madam Adutwumwaa Frempong explained “the move is to ensure that customers who use Tigo's internet services for either social or business purposes can do so without having to worry about the security of their data."

She added that this upgrade comes at no extra cost to consumers and will enhance Skyping experience on the network.