There are three full Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) in Ghana, each with their own independent internal Internet
links. The first and the major ISP in the country is Network Computer Systems (NCS)
which operates at 384 Kbps through F1 Intelsat earth station.
NCS was founded in 1988 and is also involved in consulting services, network
installation and maintenance, and training services. The company was the first to
establish global Internet gateway with full connectivity in Ghana, and it is the top level
domain administrator for .gh. NCS has also set up new points of
presence (POPs) in the Ashanti [Kumasi] and Western [Takoradi] Regions.
NCS Ltd. has
successfully started an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network service. This service
has been implemented through collaboration with General Electric Information Services and
the International Finance Corporation (IFC). EDI enables inter-business electronic
exchange of business documents in a standard format. Such business documents include
invoices, purchase orders, bills of laden, etc.
Current pricing structure
at NCS for both leased line and dial-up:
| Monthly Subscription cost |
US$ 45.00 per month
for unlimited use |
| Leased line |
US$ 4,000 per month |
| Registration fee |
US$ 100.00 |
Fees for web design and
hosting, domain registration and other services are available at the NCS Web Services
Page.
Aside from NCS, there are two
other commercial full Internet providers in Accra, each using 128 Kbps connections to the
US via Ghana Telecom's infrastructure. These are InternetGhana and Africa
Online.
InternetGhana is
a Ghanaian Company which was licensed for the provision of Internet Services. Incorporated
in June 1996, InternetGhana operates a full digital link to the Internet, connecting to
the world reknown InternetMCI's Super
HighBandwidth Internet Backbone in New York. InternetGhana operates at
128 Kbps, and besides Accra, it has set a point of presence in Kumasi. The following fees
apply for InternetGhana:
Gold
subscription |
unlimited access +
free web page hosting |
US$ 60.00 paid
monthly |
Silver
subscription |
12 hours access |
US$ 35.00 paid
monthly |
AfricaOnline Ghana is a
subsidiary of Africa Online which is the premier provider of Internet communications
services throughout Africa, bringing Internet users a level of technical expertise and
breadth of service unequalled by any other on the continent. Founded in 1994 by three
Kenyans studying at M.I.T. and Harvard University in the United States, Africa Online has
evolved its charter to provide leading-edge Internet services to thousands of successful
individuals and businesses. Africa Online is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with
operations in Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The following
pricing structure applies for AfricaOnline Ghana:
Pricing structure for
dial-up and corporate accounts: US$50/month and US$300 for corporate unlimited
access
AfricaOnline reached
an agreement with the Ghana Post Office to provide free e-mail addresses upon request for
use at Post Offices where the public can send e-mail for about 0.25c per message. In the
first two months of the operation, over 30,000 e-mail addresses have been issued.
There are a large number of small
businesses known as 'communication centres' which provide public access telephone
services in Ghana. An increasing number of them are now also providing dial-up and
Internet access services.
Major Web Hosting Companies
in Ghana
BusinessGhana is an Internet
Presence Provider (IPP) located in Accra with a mission to categorise and
define Ghanaian Business sites on the Internet. In view of this, it has created the
biggest Directory Listing of Ghanaian Business sites, grouped into divisions which makes
it easier for searching and comparing firms in the same type of businesses. BusinessGhana
is a department of Zipzig Ventures, an Information Technology Company in Ghana.
Webstar provides useful information that is relevant to those who are interested
in anything Ghanaian. As part of the task, Webstar offers web site design services as an
integral part of developing a cohesive body of information.
Ghanaclassifieds, an on-line marketing
service that develops and creates a web site presence of dynamic investment/financial
opportunities where actual transactions between Ghanaian companies and institutions with
other world-wide partners take place. The web site is home to company profiles of
more than 100 different industries in Ghana, available for instant access to every user on
the Internet.
Internet Society
Ghana Chapter
The Ghana Chapter of the Internet Society
has a mission to promote the expansion of the Internet in Ghana. The
Society has focused a particular attention on the rural communities in a manner and
language suitable for their participation.
Internet host sites: 119
(2000)
Internet subscribers
(1999):
- Total: 13,000
- Subscribers per 10,000
inhabitants: 6.88
Internet Users (1999):
- Total: 20,000
- Users per 10,000 inhabitants: 10.16
Internet use by categories:
- Commercial:
- Academic:
- Research:
- NGO/UN/International:
- Government:
- Others:
Internet bandwidth (Kbps):
640
