• Development   and   Adoption   of   New   Numbering   Plan   –   2nd   Quarter   2008   through   2nd   Quarter  2009   • Acquisition   of   Quality   of   Service   Monitoring   Equipment   to   independently   monitor   the   quality   of   telecommunications   services   being   provided   by   network   operators   to   the   general  public.   • Acquisition  of  Spectrum  Management  and  Monitoring  System  to  ensure  effective  use  of   Spectrum  and  to  monitor  the  spectrum  field  to  forestall  interferences.   5.15.1   Completion  of  National  Fibre  Optic  Backbone  to  the  Rest  of  the  Country   The  Ministry  of  Communication  (MoC)  reported  that  the  first  phase  of  the  fibre  optic  backbone   which  was  to  be  extended  to  Tamale  has  been  completed.   5.15.2   Improve  Third  Party  Access  to  Existing  National  Fibre  Optic  Backbone   The  issue  of  improving  third  party  access  to  existing  national  fibre  optic  backbone  is  irrelevant   now.  This  is  because  the  project  has  not  been  completed  and  so  no  third  party  firm  has  been   given  access  to  the  supposedly  already-­‐established  fibre  optic  backbone.   Stakeholders  point  out  that  the  implementation  of  the  national  fibre  optic  backbone  is  a  mess   due  to  fact  that  the  Ministry  does  not  have  an  idea  about  how  to  implement  this  project.   5.15.3   Introduce  Greater  Competition  in  Provision  of  Fixed/Land  Line  Network   As  at  end  of  July  31,  2008,  there  were  two  (2)  fixed  line  telephony  operators  plus  six  (6)  mobile   telephony   operators,   four   (4)   of   which   are   fully   operational.     The   fifth   and   sixth   mobile   licenses   were  issued  to  Westel  (Zain  Communications  Group)  and  Glo  Mobile  Ghana  Limited  on  October   31,  2006  and  July  17,  2008  respectively.   It  is  expected  that  when  the  fifth  and  sixth  mobile  licensees  become  operational,  there  would   be  enhanced  network  expansion  and  greater  competition.   112    

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