The National Communications Authority (NCA) has directed all mobile network operators in Ghana to extend their network coverage to every constituent town within each Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly (MMDA).
This newly mandatory directive forms part of the NCA’s broader overhaul of Quality of Service (QoS) standards announced on February 15, 2026, which takes immediate effect.
The new framework significantly tightens Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for telecom operators, replacing standards that have been in place since 2004.
Unlike before, telcos were not compelled but rather encouraged to expand their services beyond district capitals. However, the current licensing conditions mandates coverage extension to all towns within every MMDA.
Also, the operators are required to meet stricter performance benchmarks beyond the coverage expansion. The maximum allowable Call Drop Rate (CDR) has been reduced from 3% to below 1%, while telcos are required to achieve a Call Connection Success Rate (CCSR) of more than 95%. Successful connections must be recorded in over 90% of operational cells within each MMDA.
Additionally, voice quality standards have also been strengthened with a minimum Mean Opinion Score (MOS) of above 3.0 set for 2G services to ensure clearer calls.
Expectations has also been raised substantially on data services, with operators required to deliver an average 3G download speeds exceeding 1 megabit per second (Mbps), replacing the previous 256 kilobits per second threshold—effectively quadrupling the minimum requirement.
Also affected in the new guidelines are messaging services. Telecom providers must guarantee at least a 98% SMS/MMS delivery success rate, with delivery times not exceeding five seconds.
The NCA says it will intensify compliance monitoring through field measurements and performance assessments. Applicable laws and licence conditions will apply to operators who fail to meet the new standards.
The regulator also admonished consumers experiencing persistent poor service to formally lodge complaints, stressing that the reforms reflect evolving technology, changing usage patterns, and national policy objectives aimed at improving service delivery across Ghana’s telecom sector.
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