Selorm Adadevoh - Afrikan Heroes

MTN Announces 5G Roll Out Date in Ghana

September 28, 2021

The Ghanaian subsidiary MTN Group, Africa’s largest telecom company has announced its intentions to launch and make operational 5G services in the West African country by 2023. This comes as MTN has yet to fully cover Ghana with its 4G spectrum, but projects to gain 98% 4G coverage by the end of 2022. Currently, MTN’s 4G coverage has reached 73% of the country.

Media reports say that the company revealed that it is modernizing its infrastructure and working with regulators towards 5G and that it will seek to have 5G mobile connectivity operating in Ghana by 2023.

According to the CEO of MTN Ghana, Selorm Adadevoh, who made the announcement, MTN is taking steps towards 5G in order to be in a better position to take advantage of the digital space.

“Almost every 10 years, there is a new technology. 4G was launched in 2016 so ideally, 5G should be expected somewhere around 2026 but will have to be rollout around 2023 as COVID has accelerated digitalization,” Adadevoh said.

Adadevoh continued to say that MTN Ghana has over its 25 years of existence invested over $6-billion in infrastructure with 2021 seeing the highest investment in a single year with a sum of over $200-million.

The CEO continued that through its investments and accessibility services, such as MTN’s AYOBA platform, an all-in-one instant messages app – which provides avenues for private citizens and businesses to enter the digital space. Customers and businesses alike can access online shops and market spaces on MTN’s digital platforms and data services with just a click, Adadevoh concludes.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

MTN to deploy AI in 2021 to check Mobile Money fraud

September 25, 2020

Mobile telecommunications operator, MTN Ghana has indicated that it plans to roll out its Artificial Intelligence (AI) system to check Mobile Money (MoMo) fraud from the first quarter of 2020. This is part of additional measures being implemented by the telecoms operator to deal with this practice, which some say could threaten the subscriber confidence in the industry. CEO of MTN Selorm Adadevoh who disclosed this on PM Express Business Edition last Thursday said this is to complement existing structures and programs the company has already instituted to deal with this practice. Mr Adadevoh also added that they also see customer education as one of the tools that can be used to deal with this challenge.

“This is because a well-educated customer will ward off potential threats from these fraudsters,” he said. A recent Bank of Ghana report described the rising mobile money fraud as a “real” threat to the stability of the entire banking and financial sectors. Mr Adadevoh expressed hope that these measures that have already been implemented will help control the situation very soon.

He also said MTN has been working with the security agencies, a move which has seen the arrest of some fraudsters, with others awaiting prosecution. The MTN CEO noted that the role of Mobile Money services during the lockdown highlighted its importance. “This is something that can be described as a lifesaver. Depending on how you want to look at it, at the initial stage, the numbers were low, but picked up strongly later.”

Mr. Adadevoh also announced that they are working through the Telecom’s Chamber to establish a system that can help blacklist numbers used by these mobile money fraudsters in the country. He explained that “as an industry, we need to start coordinating on how we can create a centralised fraud management database so that when a subscriber reports a fraudster; their ID details are captured and blocked.”

The MTN CEO added that one network cannot just deal with it alone and that it needed concerted efforts by all telcos in the country. He also noted that, if a commercial bank for instance gets to know, through the MTN system that someone was blacklisted, that will make it difficult for them to operate in the financial space. Mobile Money still remains untapped despite huge flows. The MTN CEO noted that despite huge flows that had been recorded on the Mobile Money platforms of the various telcos, a lot more needs to be done arguing that the platform is still underutilised.

“If we get excited by volumes of cash being moved, then we will be blinded by the real opportunities that this platform holds,” he said. He added that there are a lot of things that can be done or developed to aid the country.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

MTN Ghana to Become a Fully Digital Operator by 2023

September 23, 2020

MTN Ghana has revealed that it is investing in becoming a fully digital operator by 2023. This was made known by Selorm Adadevoh, MTN Ghana CEO, who noted that the company was leveraging the strength of its “fintech” and some six pillars to “deliver a bold new digital world to customers”. The telco said that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the importance of digital operations and “MTN is transforming by expanding the mobile money (MoMo) ecosystem”.

MTN has introduced a month-to-month payment option that aims to give customers “control of their spend commitments”. With no lock-ins, no credit checks and no complicated paperwork, MTN Month-to-Month is available to anyone that either doesn’t want to be tied to a contract or who is unable to get a long-term contract due to not meeting minimum requirements.

New or existing customers simply need to choose the package they want and opt for the month-to-month payment option, allowing them to experience the MTN network without a 24-month obligation. All they will be asked for is their name, SA ID and debit order details should they opt to pay via debit order.

“These are uncertain times for many, so with this product, we are responding to our customer’s needs with greater flexibility, as not everyone can afford the commitment of a fixed contract. We developed this offer with freelancers, entrepreneurs, independent contractors and part-time temporary workers, who live from contract to contract, in mind and we hope it can help alleviate some of the pressure being felt by so many right now, ” says Jacqui O’Sullivan, Executive Head of Corporate Affairs, MTN South Africa.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry