Williams / Botwe Analysis of the Proposed Ghana Broadband Strategy

ICT policy, Broadband
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-3-656-07916-3
Verlag: GRIN Verlag
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 159 Seiten

Master's Thesis from the year 2010 in the subject Communications - Media and Politics, Politic Communications, grade: B+, Aalborg University (Centre for Communications Media and Information Technology), course: Master in Information Communications Technology, language: English, abstract: This project studied the Ghana Broadband Strategy with the aim of evaluating the recommendations in the strategy side by side the broadband development in Ghana. The researchers conducted interviews both officially and unofficially with ICT stakeholders, made observations, studied Government publications and sourced information from the internet in order to find out the extent of broadband development in Ghana. A SWOT analysis is carried out to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threat to the development of broadband market in Ghana. The facilitation, regulatory and market intervention policies recommended in the Ghana broadband policy is used to evaluate the broadband market to find out whether the strategy consolidates with the Strengths and opportunities of the market and whether it corrects the anomalies that necessitate the weaknesses and threats to the market. A comparative analysis is carried out with broadband strategies in other nations to consolidate the perceived omissions in the Ghana broadband Strategy. In our findings, the researchers saw the Ghana broadband Strategy to be a positive start towards developing a comprehensive broadband strategy for Ghana. The strategy did address some threats and weaknesses of the broadband market. It also consolidated on some strengths and opportunities of the broadband market. The researchers also discovered that a market can actually grow without a policy. But a market will grow faster if a well implemented policy is guiding the market. It is the hope of the researchers that this academic exercise will be useful to anyone who wishes to study the policy effect on the Ghanaian telecommunications market and the Ghanaian approach to Universal Access and Service.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Williams, Idongesit

Botwe, Yvonne Adwoa

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Table of Contents;7
2;List of Tables;9
3;List of Figures;10
4;Chapter 1 Introduction ;11
4.1;1.1 Introduction:;11
4.2;1.2 Problem definition:;13
4.3;1.3 Objectives of study:;14
4.4;1.4 Methodology:;15
4.5;1.5 Motivation:;15
4.6;1.6 Relevance of study;15
4.7;1.7 Organization of the study;15
5;Chapter 2 Literature Review ;18
5.1;2.1 Definitions of broadband;15
5.2;2.2 Policy and Market;19
5.2.1;2.2.1 What should be regulated?;19
5.2.2;2.2.2 Why regulate?;20
5.2.3;2.2.3 Role of regulation;22
5.2.4;2.2.4 Market;23
5.2.5;2.2.5 Relationship between Policy and Market;25
5.3;2.3 Approaches towards Universal Access and Service;25
5.3.1;2.3.1 Conclusion;31
6;Chapter 3 Methodology;32
6.1;3.1 Introduction;32
6.2;3.2 Research Methodology;32
6.3;3.3 Justification for use of method;34
6.4;3.4 Limitation for choice of methodology;35
6.5;3.5 Data Collection Methods;36
6.5.1;3.5.1 Documentary Reviews;36
6.5.2;3.5.2 Review of Ghana’s Telecommunication Infrastructure;37
6.5.3;3.5.3 Consultative meetings and in-depth key informant interviews;37
7;Chapter 4 SWOT Analysis of Broadband Development in Ghana. ;38
7.1;4.1 Introduction;35
7.2;4.2 Overview of Broadband Development in Ghana;38
7.2.1;4.2.1 Infrastructure Development:;38
7.2.2;4.2.2 The Advent of GSM;41
7.2.3;4.2.3 Market Liberalization;42
7.2.4;4.2.4 Competition;43
7.3;4.3 Broadband Technologies Available in Ghana;44
7.3.1;4.3.1 Mobile Broadband Technologies in Ghana;44
7.3.2;4.3.2 Fixed Broadband;45
7.3.3;4.3.3 Broadband from Internet Service Providers;45
7.4;4.4 Level of Broadband Penetration in Ghana;45
7.4.1;4.4.1 Current Level of Telecommunication Penetration in Ghana;46
7.4.2;4.4.2 Broadband Penetration;48
7.5;4.5 SWOT Analysis;49
7.5.1;4.5.1 Strengths of Broadband Development in Ghana;49
7.5.2;4.5.2 Weaknesses of Broadband Development in Ghana;51
7.5.3;4.5.3 Opportunities of Broadband Development Ghana;55
7.5.4;4.5.4 Threats of Broadband Development in Ghana;58
8;Chapter 5 Policy Components Of The Ghana Broadband Strategy ;60
8.1;5.1 Introduction;60
8.1.1;5.1.1 Facilitation Policy:;60
8.1.2;5.1.2 Regulation Policy:;64
8.1.3;5.1.3 Market Interventions:;65
8.2;5.2 Facilitation/Promotional Policy of the Ghana Broadband Strategy;66
8.3;5.3 Regulatory Policies of the Ghana Broadband Strategy;67
8.4;5.4 Market Intervention Policies of the Ghana Broadband Strategy;68
9;Chapter 6 Overview of Broadband Policies in Other Countries ;71
9.1;6.1 Introduction;68
9.2;6.2 Australia’s National Broadband Strategy;72
9.2.1;6.2.1 National Broadband Strategy;72
9.2.2;6.2.2 Broadband Action Plan;73
9.2.2.1;6.2.2.1 National Broadband Strategy Implementation Group (NBSIG);73
9.2.2.2;6.2.2.2 Broadband Penetration;74
9.2.2.3;6.2.2.3 Australia Broadband Development;75
9.3;6.3 Finland’s National Broadband Strategy;76
9.3.1;6.3.1 National Broadband Strategy;76
9.3.2;6.3.2 The Broadband Action Plan;77
9.3.2.1;6.3.2.1 Pricing;79
9.3.2.2;6.3.2.2 Information Security and Privacy Protection;79
9.3.2.3;6.3.2.3 Positive notes/points of Finland’s Broadband Strategy and Implementation Plan;80
9.4;6.4 India’s National Broadband Strategy;81
9.4.1;6.4.1 The National Broadband Strategy;81
9.4.2;6.4.2 Implementation of the Broadband Policy;83
9.5;6.5 Pakistan’s National Broadband Strategy;84
9.5.1;6.5.1 The Broadband Strategy;84
9.5.2;6.5.2 Broadband Action Plan;87
9.5.2.1;6.5.2.1 Increasing the DSL user base;87
9.5.2.2;6.5.2.2 Spread of Low Cost Unlicensed Wireless Technologies;87
9.5.2.3;6.5.2.3 Enabling of New Technologies;87
9.5.3;6.5.3 Analysis and Implementation of the Broadband Policy;87
10;Chapter 7 - Descriptive Analysis of the Ghana Broadband Strategy ;90
10.1;7.1 Introduction;90
10.2;7.2 Description of the Ghana Broadband Strategy;90
10.2.1;7.2.1 Definition of Broadband in the Ghana broadband Strategy;91
10.2.2;7.2.2 Broadband Technologies Identified in the Ghana Broadband Strategy:;91
10.2.3;7.2.3 Broadband Services Identified In The Ghana Broadband Strategy;92
10.2.4;7.2.4 Technology Options For Broadband Considered In The Ghana Broadband Strategy;93
10.2.5;7.2.5 Current Broadband Connectivity In Ghana Considered In The Ghana Broadband Strategy;96
10.2.6;7.2.6 Estimated Growth of Broadband Subscribers Proposed In the Ghana Broadband Strategy;97
10.2.7;7.2.7 Proposed Quality of Service Parameters;98
10.2.8;7.2.8 Bandwidth issues;99
10.2.9;7.2.9 The role of National Communications Authority in regulation of policy;100
10.2.10;7.2.1.0 Fiscal Issues:;102
10.3;7.3 Stakeholder Analysis;102
10.3.1;7.3.1 Convening Stakeholders (GhanaConnect);103
10.3.2;7.3.2 Invited stakeholders who contributed to the draft;105
10.3.3;7.3.3 Proposed action plan by the stakeholders ;107
10.3.4;7.3.4 Broadband Advantage to the stakeholders;111
11;Chapter 8 Assessment of Ghana’s Universal Access Policy ;113
11.1;8.1 Introduction;111
11.2;8.2 Rationale behind Universal Service;113
11.3;8.3 Ghana’s Universal Access and Service Policy;115
11.3.1;8.3.1 Policy Implementation Measures;116
11.3.2;8.3.2 Project Monitoring and Evaluation;117
11.3.3;8.3.3 Management of GIFTEL;117
11.4;8.4 Assessment of Ghana’s Universal Access and Service Fund;117
11.4.1;8.4.1 Achievements of GIFEC;119
11.4.2;8.4.2 Challenges facing GIFEC;121
11.4.3;8.4.3 Future Plans of GIFEC;122
11.5;8.5 Assessment of Ghana’s Telecenter initiatives;122
11.6;8.6 NCA and the Universal Access Obligation;123
11.7;8.7 The effect of the Ghana Telecommunication Policies and the Ghanaian Telecommunication Market;124
12;Chapter 9 Conclusion ;129
12.1;9.1 Introduction;127
12.1.1;9.1.1 Achievements of the Ghana Broadband strategy;129
12.1.2;9.1.2 Problems with the Ghana Broadband Strategy;132
12.2;9.2 Assessments:;133
12.2.1;9.2.1 Assessment on the GhanaConnect Stakeholders’ Efforts:;133
12.2.2;9.2.2 Assessment on Government Effort;135
12.2.3;9.2.3 Assessment on NCA;137
12.3;9.3 Suggested Technology Step to Universal Access;138
12.3.1;9.3.1 WiMAX for Rural Areas;139
12.4;9.4 Conclusions;140
13;Glossary;142
14;References;147
15;Appendix Appendix 1: Problem definition;153