Ghana picks three awards at ITU Telecom World

Ghana picked three awards at the just ended ITU Telecom World 2017 Conference in the technologically advanced city of Busan in South Korea.

Team Ghana, led by the Deputy Minister of Communications, Nenyi George Kojo Andah won a certificate of recognition for commitment and participation the in conference and exhibition.

Earlier, the Commonwealth Telecoms Organisation Secretary-General Shola Taylor had lauded Ghana for the unique public and private sector collaboration at the conference.

The other two awards went to two private sector organizations, Subah Infosolutions and the Wireless Applications Service Providers Association of Ghana (WASPAG).

Subah's award was for commitment and participation and also for being a partner of the ITU in the organization of this year's event.

Subah sponsored the ITU App, which was downloadable on Google Play Store and Apple for free, and it provided participants of the conference with detailed information about the event - dates, venues, locations of various stands and more.

The company also held an unprecedented event dubbed Subah LeaderSpace Happy Hour, which was a novelty at the ITU Telecom World and it provided a relaxed atmosphere for private and public institutions to network over drinks and light food.

WASPAG also walked away from the ITU World with an award for promoting innovative ICT solutions with social impact at the ITU World 2017.

WASPAG showcased a number of ICT solutions developed by its member organizations, particularly the Care 247 mobile health solution from. MobileContent.com.

Care 247 is a mobile health app that provide 24/7 access to information on sexual reproductive, maternal and infant health, as well as proper nutrition via SMS, USSD, data and voice in at least nine local dialects.

It is currently being used by at least 250,000 people and ready to be scaled up globally.

Other participating countries and companies also won awards in various categories.

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao congratulated the awardees for their excellence and for continuous support for ITU activities.

He noted that ITU awards have over the years boosted the reputation of winners and propelled their businesses to higher heights and he does not expect anything less from this years awards.

Houlin Zhao assured member countries and participants that the ITU Council has endorsed the continuation of the award scheme and they will continue to do so to drive excellence in ICTs across the world.

Kotoka Int. Airport to offer free WiFi soon

The Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) has initiated the process to provide a suit of complimentary and subscribed WiFi access at all terminals of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

Currently, the company provides limited free WiFi access of up to 30 minutes at the business and first class lounges, but this new move is to open it to all travelers using the airport.

This is in keeping with the international practice, where almost every airport in the world is providing either free and unlimited WiFi access to all travelers, or at least a mix of complimentary and paid access.

Indeed, Ghana has been touted as the Gateway to Africa for many years now and country is also reputed for its proverbial hospitality.

Moreover, the Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu Ekuful has recently been saying "it is digi-time in Ghana", as an expression of government's commitment to embark on a vigorous digitization of the country.

The drive is intended to make Ghana the most people and business friendly, and the Minister has indeed stated her particular interest in providing WiFi at all major tourists destinations, including the entry points.

KIA being the main entry point of the country for tourists and investors, it has become an imperative for the company to provide open and reliable WiFi access to travelers using the port.

GACL therefore advertised a request for proposal (RFP) on June 27, 2017 asking interested entities to bid for the contract to install, operate, manage and maintain a reliable, modern and scalable WiFi network based on GACL standards.

Officials of GACL have confirmed to Adom News that they have already received a number of proposals from some telcos and ISPs and they are evaluating them to select the best candidate for the job.

The eventual winner would be required to implement multi-tiered wireless network connectivity options for passengers at both terminals 1 and 2 of KIA.

GACL said the system would be expected to provide a fast, secure and passenger-convenient complimentary WiFi access that would be upgraded by the operator as technology emerges.

Because the service is free, the operator would be allowed to commercialize the WiFi page by placing adverts on it, subject to written approval by GACL Board.

Meanwhile, GACL is making the KIA a more welcoming atmosphere by providing live music with the king of free style, Ken Kabonu.

The company has also made it a practice to regularly announce that trolleys at the KIA a free for passengers. This is to stop the situation where some workers and so-called "goro boys" parading the port charge money from unsuspecting passengers for the use of trolleys.

GACL also cautions passengers regularly not to pay any money to anyone without collecting receipts and never to pay any money outside of the designated areas for payments.