Internet Access and Rates: A Challange For Creatives and Consumers.

By Nana Kojo Mula.

In today’s world, the importance of the internet cannot be overstated. Our lives are ever so dependent on access to the internet so much that a brief shutdown of it will leave many people and industries stranded and lost.

The internet has not just made connecting and networking easy, but also brought entertainment right to the doorsteps of people wherever, whenever. It has also been a major employment tool for people around the world.
In 2019 when the world shut down because of COVID-19, we saw the rise of TikTok and Triller, which saw the age of content creators and influences rise. Today, influencer and content creator culture has become so huge people of diverse ages have all tapped in and are making ends meet through the revenue they generate from these platforms.
In 2024 when the internet has become an integral part of content creation and consumption, creators and consumers in Ghana have been left lost and troubled. On one hand access to the internet has become a struggle and a challenge. Those who manage to have access to the internet end up having connectivity issues.

On the other hand, it has become expensive to stay connected. Every other month the internet which has connection issues gets expensive, packages which were created to make it easier for people to afford data are getting scrapped and replaced by a more expensive package which exhausts too early.
While other countries in the region have seen the importance of the internet and putting measures in place to make it not only accessible but also strong in its connectivity, Ghanaians are left in a constant battle with telcos. When these challenges have been voiced out, the telcos point accusing fingers at the government and the government when questioned does not provide any ready solutions.
As consumers, the current state of the internet in the country is evident for all to see, as creatives who rely on the internet to earn revenue, the question is how are they coping?

Anabel Rose:
As a remote worker, I rely on the internet to get almost everything done. From virtual meetings, researching, and moodboarding to conducting interviews. A steady source of internet connection is essential for a productive day and for progressing my career.
During the long internet outage in Accra a few months ago, it was impossible to get any work done. I missed multiple deadlines and meetings and was unable to inform necessary parties about my inability to make the meeting because there was no internet to do so. Even getting around was nearly impossible because rideshare services were inaccessible. It slows down so much of the things you can do. It feels like the rest of the world is moving a progressing whilst we remain stagnant whenever these issues happen.
I mean it’s a structural issue. I am not sure why global internet service providers are unable to efficiently and consistently provide us with internet but the government should be regulating and monitoring these kinds of operations. Everyone, not only creatives, is affected by unstable internet so everyone should be making noise and holding the ISPs accountable

Jamie:
I’m highly dependent on the internet for work, social media, and staying connected. My biggest challenge is the high cost of data, especially with the economic situation. The service isn’t always consistent, with frequent network interruptions. I’d say my best experience was during the early hours of the morning, between 1 am and 5 am, when fewer people are online, making the network faster and more stable. I believe both the Telcos and the government play a role. The Telcos often provide subpar services despite the high costs, while the government’s policies and taxes on internet services increase the overall expense.
The government can reduce taxes on internet services, while Telcos can invest in better infrastructure to improve network quality. A collaboration between both parties could make internet access more affordable and reliable.

Rosina:
I depend on the internet 90% of the time. For research, talking to friends, reading, and watching movies. Everything. I’ve not had difficulty accessing the internet with my service provider however the charges are quite expensive. My best experience would be learning how to crochet by myself with videos on the internet. It was a very nice experience. The government.
The service providers are made to pay huge taxes(as we’re all aware of the tax situation in the country), hence they’d transfer their taxes to the consumers. My take is that the taxes should be minimal to allow most people to have access to the internet without the abounding issues

Estella:
Primarily, it is the expense. Truthfully I would have no problem if the price was matching the data given. But here is the case we do not get value for money. I pay more for getting less and ideally, it is not good business for us but we have no other choice than to buy it. If I am to give when I had the best internet experience. Then it was probably last year. What helps is I buy in bulk rather than everyday purchasing which cuts the cost. Honestly, I do not know which institution to hold responsible but, multiple articles I have read indicate that the government regulates whatever the telecoms have to offer to us the consumers. Propose a solution for people who have heard our cries for a long and have done nothing about it. As long as they know we need them and cannot do without them. But they should give us our money’s worth. It would be a fair deal

Leonardoddj:
As a creative in 2024, the internet is everything. The digital age requires 98 per cent of things to be online so having access to stable internet is a priority. It being costly aside, the major problem I have with internet access is how unreliable the services are.

Sending files to peers has been very difficult. I usually have to stay up late or wake up very early just to transfer files such as mixes, songs, videos etc to people I’m working with just because the internet is only reliable in the early hours.
It feels so much like a lost cause right now because of the current economic challenges the country faces but I think the least we could do is actually voice out consistently about how difficult it is working with the service provided, people are losing jobs because of this and if push comes to shove I guess we could try protesting and hope the regulators do the right thing. The solution now is to remove all the unnecessary taxes, get service providers to upgrade their systems

Esinam: If it was like on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say 11. There’s only a handful of things I don’t use the internet for. Access and expense. I don’t even know what the correlation is but it looks like as the cost increases the network becomes terrible. I don’t remember the last time I had a stable internet connection, I use Telecel so you can imagine.
I believe the government is responsible. The taxes are making it all so expensive. But the Telcos are also partly responsible when it comes to connectivity. The government should start by reducing the taxes on these telecommunications providers.